The best (and worst) food in the world

So many travel experiences are based around food. Most of the moments I'll remember forever involve food.

I've never forgotten a long train ride in India, not for the rank boredom of staring out of the window grille at village after village, but for the fascinating procession of men wandering down the aisle selling hot samosas, biryanis, rotis, coconuts, chai, coffee and something that sounded remarkably like "bikini butters". I may have got that wrong, though.

I remember the mystery meat I ate in Vietnam, not for the taste but for what it did to me a few hours later. I recall wiping garlic sauce off my chin after a late-night kebab in London, and the crisp but bizarre crunch of grasshoppers in Uganda.

I'm a huge believer that a nation's food is its soul - and in some places, that ain't pretty ...

So let's cut to the chase. To borrow from English writer Nick Hornby, here's my all-time, desert island top five destinations for the best food in the world, followed by the heaving worst:

Japan
Any country as obsessed with food as Japan gets my vote. Where else do chefs spend years learning not how to cook food, but just how to cut it? The menus in Japan can be a bit of a lottery (for this highly untalented linguist, anyway) but you usually wind up with something tasty.

France
To say the French are proud of their cuisine is like saying Kiwis are quite fond of the All Blacks (and handbags). While some find French food a bit rich, their fresh produce is incredible. One of my favourite pastimes while I worked as a cook in France was wandering through entire rooms in the supermarkets dedicated to cheese, picking out the softest, stinkiest hunks of fromage I could find, then spending other peoples' money on them. French bread is also amazing - however, the difference between a baguette and a baseball bat is about 12 hours.

Thailand
I have an insane love for Asian food. I could eat yum cha every day. I do eat Vietnamese pho almost every day. But as a destination, Thailand is tops in Asia. As long as you steer clear of toasted cheese sandwiches and spaghetti bolognese on places like Koh Samui, Thai food is always fresh and spicy. I ate a curry at a roadside cafe in southern Thailand that appeared to be just curried chillies - but hey, it tasted amazing.

Italy
I'm probably not going to be the first person to rant about the food in Italy (understatement?), but there is nothing like wandering through an Italian supermarket, past aisle after aisle of pasta, tasting the best fresh and tinned tomatoes in the world, awesome cheeses, risottos, Florentine steaks, pizzas, gelato, hot chocolates ... The best thing you can ingest in Italy is coffee. An early-morning Italian cappuccino, slammed back while standing at the bar amid a sea of Italians screaming at each other about last night's calcio (soccer) is something I will pay any amount of money to experience again.

India
Granted, it helps that I would almost put chilli on my breakfast cereal, but not all Indian food is super hot. It's more the rich mix of spices that makes the food what it is. Whether it's shovelling a thali lunch into your gob with your hand in southern India, hoeing into potato cake and chutney rolls that you only seem to be able to get in Mumbai, drinking a lassi, or munching on a samosa at a cricket match, there's never a dull culinary moment. Whatever you do, ignore the guidebook and try some street food. And pack the Imodium.

That's the good stuff. Here are the worst places in the world to eat:

The Netherlands
The Dutch have a lot going for them, but sadly, food isn't one of them. One of Amsterdam's few redeeming gastronomic features is that you can at least get some decent Asian food, but the local cuisine is dull and pretty horrible. I do love fresh, hot stroopwafels, but have you ever tasted raw herring with pickles? Or eaten a croquette from Febo (it's basically the deep-fried innards of a meat pie)? It probably helps to have been to a "coffee shop" beforehand ...

Eastern Europe
One word: stodgy. Eat out anywhere in Eastern Europe and you feel like you've swallowed a bowling ball for the next few hours. Thank God the beer is so good ...

East Africa
Whoa! Hold on a minute there, angry people from blogland! Put away your poisoned fingertips for a second. I'm not trying to cast aspersions on the lovely countries of East Africa because they're Third World nations. All I'm saying is, if you go to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda or Ethiopia, you have to expect the food to be pretty awful. You have to expect that the veges at the supermarket will be rotting and covered in insects. You have to expect to go without dairy products and to force down stuff like ugali, the maize meal which is a staple of the African diet. It's like savoury porridge, but worse. Or try the Ethiopian injera bread, memorably described by Aussie travel writer Peter Moore as tasting like a wet dishcloth. It's really not very nice. That's all I'm saying. After all, have you ever been stuck for something to eat and thought to yourself, "Gee, I kinda feel like going out for Tanzanian tonight ..." ?

Britain
Yeah, yeah, I know, gross generalisation, tired stereotype, blah blah blah. Sorry friends, but British food sucks. Sure, there are now some brilliant restaurants in the Old Dart, but most backpackers would have to sell their entire worldly possessions just to be able to afford an entree. It's nowt but Wetherspoon's for us. And when your national dish is faux Indian, you know your own creations must be pretty rank. The Scots don't help things in this department, what with their penchant for finding decent food and, "Och Jimmy, let's batter it and throw it in the wee deep fryer". Deep-fried Mars Bars, deep-fried pizza - hell, the Edinburgh establishment I worked in even deep-fried the breakfast sausages. However, at 3am you'll be praising the enterprising Scot who came up with deep-fried haggis.

United States
Once again, a country where great food can be found but most of it is inedible crap. And not just a bit of inedible crap - order food in the "bigger is better" United States and you get an absolute mountain of inedible crap. Tuck in, Billy-Bob. Of course there's great clam chowder in Boston, great oysters in San Francisco and great pizza in New York but the rest is truck-stop diner stodge.

Where's the best or worst food in the world?

Hope you're enjoying the Backpacker blog. There'll be a new one up on smh.com.au every Wednesday, for a bit of light relief to remind you of why you went to work in the first place: to save up enough money to get the hell out of here! If there are any good travel topics you think I've missed, drop me a line at bgroundwater@fairfax.com.au.

Posted
by Ben GroundwaterMarch 19, 2007 9:03 PM

LATEST COMMENTS

Roti and fish head curry for breakfast, satay and chili crab for dinner; two years in Malaysia introduced the flavours that dominate my food choices 25 years latter.

Breakfast eggs in China, how ten hotel kitchens could produce the same runny, tasteless scrambled eggs each day is still a mystery to me.

Posted by: Steve Madsen on March 20, 2007 4:02 PM

With the exception of Argentina, whcih is carnivore heaven, South America is pretty ordinary. A distinct lack of herbs or spices always makes for boring fare !
Mistaking "langua" for lasagne in Columbia didn't help. Langua is tongue in spanish ! Had me kicked for days.

Posted by: Simon Fox on March 20, 2007 4:15 PM

I would have to agree that the maize dishes in Africa are like lead and I would never have thought to mix peanut butter in with spinach but if you like meat its great.

I also liked the food in India but I could feel my arteries clogging as I ate a butter chicken. If you are feeling game pick a Western item off the menu like macaroni cheese which turned out to have sugar in it instead of salt. So far around the world I have found that the beer is usually drinkable and keeps most bugs at bay.

Posted by: Sarah on March 20, 2007 4:22 PM

The street hawkers in Singapore are great! I really enjoyed the Friday night street-satay-and-Tiger-beer experience, the 'Hong Kong' noodles, samosas in Little India and the moon cakes during the Month of the Hungry Ghost. And, in Singapore, not only are the street eateries good, the up-market food is sublime (and inventive). A highlight of my trip was when my Aussie ex-pat (now re-pat) friend took me to High tea at the Shangri La : ) Perhaps Australia could qualify for some of the worst food - I recall the 'cappucino' (read warm milk + nescafe) I was once served during a visit to Young, NSW.

Posted by: PO'd on March 20, 2007 4:28 PM

Just spent four fabulous months in India - the best curry was cooked by a gorgeous chef called Das in Kerala; Banana curry and Pineapple Curry and not a chilli in sight!
Also the fruit was amazing, western countries and western influenced countries ie Singapore have spoiled the true taste of fruit with commercial farms.

Posted by: LL on March 20, 2007 4:31 PM

Worst: Mali capital of the Maldives. Ordered a chicken curry dish....it wasn't chicken by a long shot.

Best: Milan, Italy....absolutely everything is YUMMY.

Posted by: Alfredo on March 20, 2007 4:45 PM

I'd be really interested in hearing about positive vegetarian experiences in far off places.
(And when I say vegetarian I DON'T mean vegAQUARIAN!!!)
I just got back from the Cook Islands and ironically, all I could find to eat was Italian. Not really what I was expecting from a tropical paradise dripping in ripeness, though I did expect it to be slightly tricky.
The concept was clearly not part of their culture because apon asking of the vegetarian options, the most common response was "We have Chicken Curry or Seafood"

Posted by: Annie on March 20, 2007 4:52 PM

What about Spanish food? Not the paella of the south (overrated in my view) but the great variety of food and tapas of the north esp Basque country, Catalonia, Asturias etc - and you can still get a superb three course meal with wine for under 10 euros.

Posted by: Anonymous on March 20, 2007 4:56 PM

How is it that in a Tuscany town takeaway bar a crusty piece of bread lightly grilled and topped with slices of tomato and chopped basil dribbled with olive oil tastes like you have never tasted tomatoes before?

How is it that despite having no toppings other than the cheese and tomato base, Napali pizza becomes something you would truly scramble over broken backpackers for?

How can a piece of veal from a Roma trattoria simply squeezed with lemon juice become a meal you savour over and over and over and over again?

So why does one try and replicate these simple pleasures back home, only to sadly realise that even the most simplest tastes are sometimes the hardest to achieve!

Posted by: Dave on March 20, 2007 4:56 PM

I totally agree with the assessment of Amsterdam's cuisine. The whole 3 days I was there the only meal I enjoyed was after a visit to a 'coffee shop'...

Posted by: LVF on March 20, 2007 4:56 PM

Having been to all the countries mentioned (except East Africa) and many more. I would like to add my current home to the list, China. I have been living in Beijing for the past 4 months and the variety, quality and value for money of the food is exceptional.

Posted by: John on March 20, 2007 5:13 PM

Philippines - Balut.

Yum.

Posted by: Reader on March 20, 2007 5:14 PM

Had a lot of great food in Malaysia. There are three cultural cuisines to choose from (Malay, Chinese and Indian). The people generally speak atleast some English which made finding about the different foods and ordering them a little bit easier for me.

Worst food for me was in South Pacific islands like Fiji and Vanuatu. Root vegetables baked and swamped with coconut milk got a bit boring and stodgy after a while.

Posted by: berihebi on March 20, 2007 5:15 PM

What about Spanish food? Not the paella of the south (overrated in my view) but the great variety of food and tapas of the north esp Basque country, Catalonia, Asturias etc - and you can still get a superb three course meal with wine for under 10 euros.

You chose all the obvious food choices...for both good and bad. A more tuned-in traveller would have chosen some of the great underrated cuisines as best: like Sri Lankan, Malay and Syrian foods as among my five best....and worst: look no further than Tibet and Afghanistan...

Yeah, damn my untuned-ness. I can only rate places I've been to Dennis. - Ben

Posted by: Dennis Schulz on March 20, 2007 5:20 PM

Love Thai food, esp in Thailand. Even though its hot and humid most of the year, you still beg for a great Thai meal/curry every time.

The mini-capsicums they use in the green curry are to die for.

Does Bad thai food exist- I dont think so.

Posted by: Kiran K on March 20, 2007 5:29 PM

Annie......
Which part of the Cook Islands did you go to??
My wife and I went there (Raro) for our honeymoon last year and found the cuisine matching any major City in the world (London , New York , Sydney , Wanganui?)resturants.
First class Pacific Island Tucker !!
You cant beat......

*A full English in UK for $ value
*Paua & Whitebait Fritters in NZ
*Rissoto in Venice.
*Street vendors in Bangkok

Posted by: BJ on March 20, 2007 5:39 PM

Simon Fox. Langua is spelt as "lengua" and is a specific tongue dish common throughout the Latin speak world and Chinese-East Asian cuisine.. A totally different dish to lasagne.

Ignoramus so shove that up your condescending nose.

Tongue is nice to eat when tenderised ie cooked for 4 hours.

That's the way "reader". Publish some personal abuse and be too scared to put your own name to it. Nice. - Ben

The capital of the Maldives is Male'. Mali is a country in Africa. The Maldivians only have seafood and have to import everything into their country including chicken.

Another ignoramus. Criticising other people's cultures when your basic language skills is poor makes you look like a total dolt.

And again! Bet you're feeling mighty superior. - Ben

Posted by: Reader on March 20, 2007 5:42 PM

Best: Vietnam, Japan, France, Turkey

Most improved: the UK

Falling fast: Thailand

Food roulette: China - where amazing, mediocre and absolute crap food all seem to coexist - even in the same restaurant

Posted by: Astute on March 20, 2007 5:50 PM

Oh the bliss of eating in Japan ... and dont believe the hype, even in Tokyo it can be cheap and delicious. The soups, the gyoza, the sushi ... the melt in your mouth light as air I'm in heaven sashimi ...

The hard part is coming back to Australia, sitting in Sizzle Bento and convincing yourself its not that bad. It is. The problem with Japanese food is that once you eaten it in Japan, you can rarely find anything to match it elsewhere.

Posted by: tricoteuse on March 20, 2007 5:59 PM

Singapore/Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and India have some of the best food for sure - in my opinion, better than anything the Western Hemisphere has to offer!

I'm with you Katie, give me Asian any day. - Ben

Posted by: Katie on March 20, 2007 6:00 PM

Thai food wonderful

Most Indian and Chinese food ditto

Japanese food can be good BUT grossly over-priced!

Italian and French great as long as you know what it is you are choosing (basic laguage skills necessary).

Scandanavian food generally rubbish except I AM addicted to meatballs! Everyone has some dubious food they like for unknown reasons........

I view with great hilarity the Scandanavian Cooking programme on Fox - I obviously lived in the wrong parts of Norway for years!!!!

Norway has the worst bacon in the world bar none..........

America is the land of "never mind the quality feel the width....."

French cooking in Montreal is better than Paris in my opinion!

Australia and New Zealand have some of the best quality food and yes, we are getting better at cooking it!!!!

I still rank Barbies slightly above whale manure level for what they do to food!!!

Posted by: BUG on March 20, 2007 6:30 PM

Pho in Vietnam or Bankstown is as good as it gets for fresh flavours!

Posted by: Corey on March 20, 2007 6:35 PM

That's the way "reader". Publish some personal abuse and be too scared to put your own name to it. Nice. - Ben

* Posted by: Reader at March 20, 2007 5:39 PM

---

No worries mate.

---

And again! Bet you're feeling mighty superior. - Ben

* Posted by: Reader at March 20, 2007 5:42 PM

----

Yes I do compared to some travellers who visit other countries and come back with horrific tales about the cuisine (eg Warne/cans of beans/India) as if Australian cuisine is superior to the rest of the world. Making fun of other people's cuisine shows (at the very least) how undeveloped their palate is.

Anonymously yours,

Reader - detesting ignorance in travellers.

Posted by: Reader on March 20, 2007 7:06 PM

Completely disagree about the USA. I think you were either stuck in Idaho or mistook white-castle and jack-in-the-box a restaurants.

My experience was of fantastic jap fusion and seafood in Hawaii; Proper mexican and tex-mex (completely different but both great) in most of the border states; Great creole and cajun in the south east; Proper hamburgers and hotdogs just about everywhere; Crab, lobster and oyster shacks down the east coast; and amazing steak and rib joints that slow roast the meat for hours...

All of it is reasonably priced and (as you say) the portions are massive, meaning that, if you can deal with the funny looks, you just share with your better half. And the bill arrives without having to ask three times before walking over to the register yourself (which is something that Sydney could well learn from).

I'd eat american any day.

Cheers,
md.

Posted by: md on March 20, 2007 7:14 PM

While I agree with most comments here I cannot believe no one has mentioned Lebanese food.

Definitely has to be up there in anyone's top five

Posted by: Hey! on March 20, 2007 7:28 PM

At 5.42pm Reader says

"Another ignoramus. Criticising other people's cultures when your basic language skills is poor makes you look like a total dolt."

Its language skills ARE poor, its a plural, you knob.

Anyway, best food I have had is Thailand, and yes I agree that the western hemisphere doesn't even come close, especially when you consider how much you pay for food in Thailand. A must do in Thailand is a Thai cooking course, you won't believe how easy Thai food is to prepare, and you get to eat what you make of course, it tastes as good as anything you can get in a restaurant.

Hey hey! I like you Adz. - Ben

Posted by: Adz on March 20, 2007 7:29 PM

Hands down, Mexico has the best food. not your cheese sodden, minced meat tacos we are subjected to in eateries here but the real deal.

Bean, rice, egg concoction at the local markets for breakfast with a stack of hand made burrito bread possibly the best breakfast I've ever had (sounds simple but the flavours were amazing). Just everything was VERY delicious and fresh.

Worst: Brazil. mind you the lack of Portuguese didn't help. In the shadow of Corcovado (big jesus) I ordered something i thought was risotto - ended up being a bowl of melted fake cheese with about 4 grains of rice in it. I like melted cheese but this was sick making!

Posted by: Jane on March 20, 2007 7:44 PM

Street food . . . ah, where do you start?
Caracas - the best hot dogs in the world topped with some crispy fried heaven knows what
Barbados - a flying fish cutter - flying fish, coleslaw, West Indian pepper sauce in a roll or a hot dog with crushed Pringles chips (delish!), pepper sauce, mustard and tomato sauce
St Lucia - bbq chicken leg in spicy local sauce or a butterfly fresh sardine dipped in garlic oil and barecued
Manila - a huge butterly prawn dipped in soy sauce and barbecued
Germany - a piping hot fish cake outside Aldi on a frosty morning
Singapore - the noodle market by the ferry terminal (and don't even think about the Boogie Street days) . . .
I could go on and on! But don't forget the New York stalwart - I counted 23 wafer thin slices of pastrami between my rye and the pickle just made the whole meal. All cheap as chips, but even a millionaire wouldn't complain!

My best and worst foods are actually from neighbouring countries. The worst - Russia. The food is extremely bland, and for someone who isn't a big salad eater, I was dying for one before I left Moscow, having had virtually no fresh vegies for days. The beef strogonoff I make at home courtesy of Continental tastes better than the version they served up there! No taste whatsoever. No wonder they're permanently surly!

Some of the best food I had was in neighbouring Finland and Sweden. They both provide some fascinating and tasty lunch options, including rieska in Helsinki, which is a large, flat, hamburger-type bun, but folded in half like a taco, and filled with Aussie-style pie meat (mince beef & onions), cheese, tomato sauce, pickles, with your choice of extra meat filling - steak, chicken, or even reindeer meat (I mean, we eat the animals on our coat of arms!). Delicious, but make sure you have an appetite before hand - very filling.

In Stockholm, I checked out their rulle - a hotdog frankfurt in a pita bread cone, filled with creamy mashed potato. Oh, I'm drooling at the thought of it!

And of course, Italy - the best penne arrabiata in Florence; but then, I wouldn't have expected anything less!

I have to say, we have got it really good for food in Australia - the variety and quality is second to none. We should be thankful for it - I am.

Posted by: Empress Jo on March 20, 2007 7:56 PM

Good god laddie! Scots food nae guid!
What about smokies and a poke of chips,baps and butteries! Yum yum
And not forgetting the worlds best, yes folks the worlds best ice cream at Lossie
They can't play rugby but they can sure make ice cream!

Posted by: bozosmate on March 20, 2007 7:56 PM

Malaysian food is fantastic - but the worst coffee I ever had was in a small town in Malaysia. After getting caffeine withdrawal after several days went into a shop proudly displaying the sign "Western coffees" - first instant coffee "cuppocino" (sic) that I had ever had with whipped cream and a cherry on top. All part of the experience.

Without wanting to be too dismissive, really disappointed in the food in Italy - tried all classes of restaurants (well not Michelins - couldn't afford it) and found that the Italian food in Australia is far superior and a great deal more innovative.

Posted by: Befuddled on March 20, 2007 8:06 PM

Absolutely Turkish Cuisine, Rich and full of culture!

Posted by: Kylie on March 20, 2007 8:10 PM

There was thiis chilli jam thing (i think it was chillis, and had some mekong river herbs/weeds in it) i had in a village in Laos. Not sure what it was made of but you ate it with sticky rice. The sticky rice was ordinary but boy that chilli jam thing was good. if anyone knows what its called..

Posted by: Lee on March 20, 2007 8:12 PM

Actually i've travelled a lot and there are only a handful of places where i would say the food is terrible.
I have to agree that The Netherlands makes pretty ordinary food (hurts me to say it - my mum is dutch). I ate a new herring just before taking a boat ride & only barely managed to keep it down.
I didn't have a good meal in South America in the 4 weeks that i was there - much to my surprise. Mind you most of that time was in Bolivia and Peru... not countries known for their culinary contribution.
I have been consistently disappointed with food in China on a number of visits. Maybe I have grown too used to Kylie Kwong's version...! And i agree, what is with those breakfast eggs in the big Chinese hotels?
Japan is hit & miss. I don't speak a word of the language, and I had to point at the menu & hope for the best. Okonomiyaki is excellent, as is the sushi in Tokyo, but I also had some absolute shockers (incl just about every up-market meal I had in Kyoto). And the sticky beans they serve with the breakfast... just don't even go there!
Portugal... expected more from the chicken. Maybe that's nando's fault, but it was plain. And the salted cod (the national dish) tasted like it sounds like it should taste.

Places that are amazing. Southern Thailand (Bangkok can be tricky), Italy (seafood along the coast, and pizza in Rome... mmmmm!)
I agree the food in Singapore is exceptionally good, but living there now, i can assure you, it's also hit & miss (like anywhere I guess). But as an expat, I have to tell you, you don't realise how good the food is in Sydney until you're gone.

Posted by: Mark on March 20, 2007 8:13 PM

Get ye to Mexico. The food is on the World Heritage List, shouldn't that be enough indication? Nowhere takes their food as seriously as Mexicans...and it shows. It's delicious.

I have to agree on Scotland. One of my strongest memories of the place was ordering a cheeseburger and getting asked "do you want it on a bun?" Well, yes...

The recipe:

Get a piece of meat.

Put a piece of cheese on top.

Put another piece of meat on top.

Roll in batter.

Deep fry that sucker.

Stick it on a bun.

Posted by: jeqp on March 20, 2007 8:16 PM

Reader at March 20, 2007 5:42 PM:

I think you meant to say "Criticising other people's cultures when your basic language skills ARE poor makes you look like a total dolt".
Criticising other people's basic language skills when apparently your own aren't up to scratch either is just plain funny.

I would rate Philippine food among the worst 5 - edging out the UK. I think there are few better ways to start the day than a good English breakfast (without the congealed blood). Ditto for a good plate of bangers and mash or shepherd's pie. Try coming up with one Philippine dish that you would yearn for. Ever wondered why there are so few Fillipino restaurants around the world...

Scottish food does tend to appear to your average tourist (ie, those who don't leave Edinburgh or Glasgow unless it's on a Haggis bus) to be grease with added fat, but I've lived here for 3 years now and have had some extraordinary foods.

It's take-away's may leave you clutching your chest, but there's no shortage of sensational food to be had here, provided you take an interest in the country "off the tourist trail".

Posted by: Lesley on March 20, 2007 8:46 PM

Having lived overseas for five years after growing up in Sydney, I can safely say that Sydney food in general, and particularly Asian food, is as good as anywhere I have eaten, including Asia. From Golden Century or the Sydney Fish Market for seafood, to any number of places for Yum Cha, to Mother Chu's for Taiwanese, to Pasteur for Vietnamese Pho, to many noodle houses for a won ton soup or roast duck. The freshness and quality of Australian food and produce is something to be really proud about and something I miss dearly.

However, I have to admit I also get regular cravings for an entrecote steak frites from a Parisian bistro and a simply cooked spaghetti vongole on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

Ben, I don't agree with your assessment of British food. Just as with anywhere else, if you know where to go for whatever food you are after, you can eat affordably and with great satisfaction.

All in all, I feel really sorry for people who have the means to travel and don't.

Posted by: Old Spot on March 20, 2007 8:47 PM

Eating in Switzerland is pretty nasty: variations on wurst, cheese, potato, cream, bacon in winter, and breaded veal and salad drenched in cheap mayo in summer. The Philippines has some lovely food but also some true horrors, like balut (fertilised egg, with a little chicken foetus inside), kare kare (fried tripe) and sisig (deep fried pig's ear). The place to go, though, is Mozambique - spicy chicken, fresh fish, a fusion of Portugeuse, African and Cypriot cooking. Really amazing.

Posted by: Mike Fisher on March 20, 2007 8:51 PM

Best: Malaysian, French, Thai

Worst: British, British, British

Posted by: AH on March 20, 2007 8:58 PM

Countries you missed.

Turkey: Some of the best Middle Eastern food around. Great food memories, and can't be beaten for ambiance.

Hungry: Wow, huge meals, lots of goulash, fantastic.

Peru: Some of the local food can be a bit funny, (I still see the guinea pig looking at me before I ate it), but the street side stalls have great little meat packages. And the restaurants, not always local cuisine, but great international menus and quality, and pretty cheap.

have to say the Chinese food in China is soooo good, so many varieties. Back in Sydney, all you can see is 'Cantonese', which is only 1 of the 8 major styles of Chinese cooking.
and most of the dishes are catered to local taste. don't try western food in China, it is just like try to find a real Chinese place in Sydney, (good luck) the taste is different. Stick with what locals do best, try their own food.

Posted by: Grace on March 20, 2007 9:24 PM

Please don't forget Ireland in the list of "worst". After 9 months here I am getting mighty sick of sandwiches (the national cuisine).

Ireland is doubly bad due to the fact that you can hardly find any other national cuisines here either. I am simply dying for a laksa, and the hunt continues...

Best: definitely Malaysian.

Posted by: Kim on March 20, 2007 9:29 PM

Judging Dutch cuisine by a Febo croquette makes as much sense as judging Australian cuisine by a serving of Aussie KFC chicken.
Raw herring is one of the few highlights that Dutch cuisine has to offer. But maybe Ben Groundwater is one of those people who like their steak well done.

Well, ok... As blog insults go, points for originality. - Ben

Posted by: Eric on March 20, 2007 9:36 PM

I love Asian food - adobo in Manila, anything in Thailand, nearly anything in Singapore or Hong Kong, even Jakarta has some great food (especially the deep fried fish that you eat every bit of - can't remember its name) - but Japanese and Korean food just doesn't do it for me.

Posted by: Ian on March 20, 2007 9:37 PM

I agree with most of what has been said.

Kuala Lumpur had some magnificent Indian, Chinese and Malay street food last time I was there (1988).

I found some of the Western food, as well as the Asian food, in Singapore to be sublime on my last visit (yesterday :) ).

France and Italy - fantastic. Eastern Europe does have some exceptions, most notable in my experience being Hungary (although that may count as Central Europe). Much of the food I ate in Budapest was on a par with France and Italy, but a lot cheaper.

I agree wholeheartedly with Kiran K (Mar 20, 5:29pm) that Thailand is a great culinary experience. Although you might find that those were mini eggplants in the green curry.

Ben, another great article and I am not having a go at you here. But the food in America can be great if you skip the truck-stop stuff. I think you have to be there with an American who knows about and appreciates good food though. I lived in Washington DC for 3 months and I lost about 10 kilos during that time, even though my girlfriend and I ate out several times a week. No complaints about the food in NYC either. And Southern Food is to die for!

British food, generally not the best. A good English breakfast can hit the spot though. And "pub grub" is often decent and reasonably priced. Fish and chips, while often very ordinary, can be great if you pick the very busy/popular chippies in the seaside towns. A little tub of curry gravy to dip the chips in is worth a try.

Worst food in my experience is Filipino food. Even though I did have some wonderful food in the Phillipines on (very rare) occasions, most of it was lousy. Meat overcooked to the point of cremation. Miscellaneous and scary offal in many of the dishes, and lots and lots of hot dogs. At least the local beer was good.

Posted by: bigbill on March 20, 2007 9:53 PM

Basically agree with the best worst in the article, with one exception; Eastern europe, spent 3 weeks snakeing through from st. petersburg to cesky krumlov and loved most of it, only had about 4 dud meals. From the blinis (crepes) with salmon in russia to the creamy salads to goulash in the czech republic. Fish is plentiful and cheap, everything is covered in fresh dill, and as mentioned the beer is fantastic everywhere. Yes the food can be stodgy but when you have winters like theirs what do you expect, and most the time its stodgy in a good way.

For me the gastronomic high point is of course France, I don't think its possible for bad or even average food to exist in france.

Ireland has improved remarkably over the last 12 or so years, and has embraced the influences and quality of the outside world.
If only England could catch up
the vast majority of food in england really is appalling (with of course the exception of the food in the sub-continental restaurnats), good food is available but you usually spend a days wage just to get near it. The 'cheap' options are the omni-present weatherspoons chain (their kitchens must consist of 3or 4 microwaves) or greasy spoons; the full breakfest will almost certainly consist of canned mushrooms and canned tomatos, 2 hour old bacon and a sausege that whilst being chared and crusty on the outside, will be pink in the middle, mmm mmmm. And don't get me started on the smells that eminate from their bbqs. Really does make you appreciate what is on offer back in the antipodes.

Posted by: peter the francophile on March 20, 2007 10:04 PM

For family reasons (my wife), I travel to Thailand quite a lot. For the first few visits I was reluctant to try the street food. Often by the end of the week, I was experiencing "Bangkok belly".... but now I have managed to appreciate the 20 baht bowls of noodles and 25 baht rice dishes. A few years ago I did a "world tour" of sorts, and the most disappointing country was in fact Italy - it was fine of you liked Pizza, Pizza, Pasta, Pizza, Pizza, Turkish Pide, Pizza..... America was a pleasant surprise - it's not all McDonalds, and surprisingly different parts of the ocuntry had different specialities. I quite likes the smoked "BBQ" meat they did in the south (Georgia)- so tender!

Posted by: Andrew Fox-Russell on March 20, 2007 10:07 PM

A few tips for 'Reader'

"Langua is spelt as "lengua" and is a specific tongue dish common throughout the Latin speak world and Chinese-East Asian cuisine.. A totally different dish to lasagne."

That should be "Latin speaking". Also, one full stop is enough.

"Criticising other people's cultures when your basic language skills is poor makes you look like a total dolt."

Sorry mate, that should be "basic language skills are poor...".

I think you should do a Google search on 'Skitt's Law'.

But back on-topic. The Dutch and Scandinavian cuisines get a bad rap - but nothing beats them as comfort food on a cold, frosty night.

Posted by: Stupot on March 20, 2007 10:11 PM

The one country missing here was AUSTRALIA! I'm honestly not saying this to be patriotic, but we are so blessed, what with the wonderful influence of southern Chinese/Vietnamese/Greek/Italian/Indian subcontinent etc.

Boy has Australia benefitted from post-war migration! Honestly, having lived in the UK for 4 years, my theory runs like this:
sure, you can get great food in the UK, BUT you have to pay about 4 times what you would in Australia. Sydney is unique in that you can eat such a great variety of foods CHEAPLY. The common man and woman can AFFORD to eat well (just think of our great fresh produce at supermarkets and cheap ethnic restaurants.)

You'd be horrified to see what the average Pom or Scot or Irish person eats. Horrified.

Posted by: Celia on March 20, 2007 10:14 PM

Korea gets my vote. I couldn't speak/read any of the language, so I would just point at some random thing on the menu. Never disappointed.

To this day I feel breakfast is not breakfast without kimchi.

Posted by: Mark on March 20, 2007 10:23 PM

If Simon Fox could only find good food in Argentina he didn't try very hard. Colombia is full of it. However he will never find it by ordering lasagne.

And he might do better if he looked closer ... tongue is 'lengua' (not 'langua')in Spanish, which looks nothing like lasagne, and the country is Colombia, not Columbia... unless he was actually in Washington or in LA.

Posted by: Barry Wills on March 20, 2007 10:32 PM

Ben, agree with you on the good stuff. Having lived in the states, I know there is a lot of rubbish. But if you were doing a list of best drunk eating there is nothing quite like a mega-sub with a huge quantity of meat and cheese at 3am! God I miss those subs and burritos!

Posted by: davo on March 20, 2007 10:35 PM

Greece has fantastic food away from the tourist areas. You know you are in a tourist restaurant if they serve lettuce with the "village salad" (an unpardonable sin according to a Greek colleague of mine when I worked there).

Eid feasts at the end of Ramadan in Oman if you are lucky enough to be invited into a private house for this.

And for the non-health conscious amongst us, a good Braai in drier rural areas of southern Africa - toasted ham and cheese sandwiches for starters, 3 types of starch (rice, potatoes and pasta), and many types of meat. If you are really lucky you may get a salad - potato salad!

And for the worst - large chain fast food anywhere in the world.

Posted by: Geotraveller on March 20, 2007 10:43 PM

British food has improved enormously over the past few years but I agree that for tourists on a budget, it's expensive and difficult to find amid the sea of pre-prepared sandwiches and greasy spoon cafes.
The food served in some of Londons pubs (organic, locally produced, fresh) is some of the best and most comforting in the world.
And you can eat food from around the world in London, from cheap as chips Vietnamese in Shoreditch to Caribbean in Brixton to Turkish in Haringey and Indian in Southall.
Perhaps there is a market for a backpackers' food guide to London!

Posted by: Joanne on March 20, 2007 10:49 PM

Previously someone mentioned that "Japanese food can be good BUT grossly over-priced!"

In Japan, you can have a balanced complete meal consisted of appetizer, main, side salad, soup and rice for $6-7... it's not too hard to find restaurants serving set meals like this, even if you don't speak the language (thanks to the plastic food samples!). In Australia, you may get one massive doner kebab for the same price - it is tasty and I love kebab personally, but I must admit Japanese has a better value. I am Japanese and proud of our cuisine, but I think Malaysian is the best (but not too healthy because of the amount of oil used...)! I enjoy living in Australia because of the wide variety of food choices. Long live "multiculturalism"!!

Posted by: Sarah on March 20, 2007 11:05 PM

Definitely the most underated food is Singaporean/Malaysian. Especially if you like it hot and spicey.

A close second is turkish and I don't mean kebabs. Had a Turkish friend at uni and her mother cooked some of the most amazing food I've ever tasted.

In defense of British food I don't thik it's really bad just unaffordable to travellers. If you live there and are paying in pounds it might be? I had an Angus steak in Scotland with mustard and whisky sauce which I still have dreams about! I have sympathy for british vegetarians though, salad usually means a bag of crisps!

Posted by: WoodChuck on March 20, 2007 11:12 PM

Worst: Bohol Philippines - worked there for a week and all our food were served cold. my best/worst recollection was when we ordered a crab hot plate dish expecting to finally eat something hot. The crab arrived sizzling hot as expected however the waiter, before we could get tucked in proceeded to poured a chilled sauce on the crab. By the time we got bits of the crab on our plates it was like all other dishes we have had throughout the week, cold.

Best: Shanghai, China (a bit biased as i was born there), but the variety in tastes is what i think makes it the winner. There are local specialties such as steamed dragon buns, stuffed lotus pods as well as world class establishments situated on the bund. However I have to admit, to fully enjoy the local *delicacies* you'll need some mandarin and a strong stomach.

Posted by: naish on March 20, 2007 11:14 PM

The food courts of Bangkok.

Not to be confused with the franchised hell that populated the Westfields of OZ.

In Bangkok you get 10 or so fantastic, mostly Thai and a few other nationalites thrown in, restaurants that you can order a different course from.

You get a card when you enter and that is swiped at each outlet and you then pay as you leave one bill.

Many of them have waiter service and some live entertainment. My favourite is the Paragon in Siam Square.

All this for about less than $10.

Heaven.

Posted by: Sydguy on March 20, 2007 11:24 PM

I agree with a lot of it, but although I've never been to East Africa, I know quite a few Kenyans and they seem to have some great food. Nyama choma and katchumbari are awesome. Ogali might be an aquired (lack of) taste but the other stuff is good. Maybe what people eat in their houses is better than what's available in restaurants? Even then, Carnivore in Nairobi is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in the world.

For terrible food, I'd say Ecuador and Finland are up there, the first made me sick as a dog (repeatedly) and the second was bland and hugely overpriced. "Preserved" reindeer meat is still one of the worst things I've ever tasted.

Brazil is worth a look for the "good" category, too.

Posted by: rbl on March 20, 2007 11:50 PM

Ah, I always get a good laugh out of this blog. Ben; you're so sensitive! When you put your opinion out there for all to read you're bound to get some people disagree! That's what makes us human...I'm in London right now, and I must say I am enjoying the great British tradition of the Sunday roast lunch, with a generous side serving of wine wine and more wine.

Posted by: Libby on March 20, 2007 11:52 PM

Living in Canada now after a year in Sydney..... I would give anything for a Prawn laksa from Noodle Blast in Mona Vale!!
Or their Thai Beef Salad!!

Australian coffees are also the best in the world.
I don't know if many of you have heard of the Tim Horton's phenonmenon sweeping Canada and the US... it is a donut chain with 'fast' coffee. They have a 'roll-up the rim to win' competition every year giving away cars, Tellys and free coffee and donuts. It is affordable... $1.25 for a medium coffee which would be considered large in Australia. But basically like brown coffee flavoured water! Of course you have to buy the LARGe to increase your chances to win! Nothing like a bucket of coffee to get you going in the morning!

One taste sensation that is great in CANADA in spring is maple syrup on pancakes... eaten out in the maple bush at the 'sugar shack'. It may be -5C but you have never tasted anything more delicious in your life.

Posted by: Sarah D on March 21, 2007 12:00 AM

i would like to add to the remarks about brazil.. i so agree, the portuguese make fabulous food but it has not traveled to brazil. adding to some of the other goodies "in the shadow of corcovado" already listed, i'd like to add: - bean stew with curly pigtails that you can fish out from among the beans if your heart desires, and fatty pigfeet with claws and a few rough hairs sticking out - you can fish for them too, among all the beans... a priceless experience but not to be repeated!

Posted by: anna on March 21, 2007 12:01 AM

Food in sydney is the best.. I used to live off yum cha, japanese, sushi and thai... Now living in Northern England, and the asian food here really is poor - what's with the take out shops selling chinese with CHIPS? Combination chinese, kebabs, pizza and curry shops galore... i'd rather go to the asian supermarket and cook it myself!!

Posted by: katie on March 21, 2007 12:03 AM

I lived in north-eastern China for a few months and the food is fantastic. Cheap and tasty. There is also a lot of Korean migration into this part of China so I ate a fair bit of Korean food as well. Korean is probably my number one. I love Indian food too, but I haven't yet made it to India to try the real stuff.

I live in Taiwan now, and unfortunately, despite most people here being of Chinese background the food here is nothing special. Most of the best restraunts are actually Japanese style.

My family is Dutch and I agree that much of the food, particularly the main meals, can be described as bland, but there's some good stuff too. I'd recommend the sausage, cheese, bread, pancakes (eaten as a main meal, not a dessert and not like crepes), poffetjes (like little pikelets), spiced cakes and spiced biscuits (like speculaas). Hagel slag is great too- multiple varieties of 100s&1000s eaten on bread, common flavours are chocolate (many different types) and anniseed.

Posted by: Judy on March 21, 2007 12:21 AM

Oman! go to Salalah, Omans second city on the coast in the South. Fresh fish caught that day, fried (head and tail included) and served with unlimited amounts of rice, soup, lebanese bread and water to wash it all down. Theres no menu, they just take you through the kitchen and let you look through all the pots that are cooking and you point to what you want. 3 dollars. Nicest people as well.

Posted by: sean power on March 21, 2007 12:22 AM

British food is easily the worst with US food coming in a close second, from this 20 year traveler. British pub food in particular, is universally disgusting, no wonder they have behaviour problems.

Posted by: Ged on March 21, 2007 12:26 AM

You can't go past the Scottish Deep fried Haggis. It took about two weeks to digest, but I suppose it was not suprising considering it contained enough oil to keep a hippie communes bio- diesel share car running for a week.

Posted by: Mark on March 21, 2007 12:34 AM

What cliqued rubbish in this story, the writer knows as much about food in these countries as he no doubt knows about the origins of the universe.

What exactly is backpacker food? Something for less than $5 and available within 5 minutes? Well if it is then the last places to find good backpacker food are France, Italy, Japan!

Posted by: Two Tummies on March 21, 2007 12:36 AM

Don't wish to rain on your parade old chap, but everywhere I travel in this world I see Japanese tourists tucking into giant English breakfast fry ups! If you walk down South Kensington on a Saturday morning you will see thousands of French and Italian people doing the same!

Posted by: Two poached Eggs on March 21, 2007 12:39 AM

For anyone more adventurous and has a wider palette of taste in food, you can't really beat the variety of asian food in general.

i do find gems in just about every country though. for chinese i would take shanghainese and northern (noodles and dumplings mm mm) cousines over most cantonese, japanese sushi and sashimi (not so much their noodles and gyoza). like most people mentioned thailand, singapore, malaysia all have great food

argentinean steak is famous for all the right reasons, brazilian churrascaria for a big appetite. UK is home at the moment and it's definitely not as good as sydney. mediterranean/southern european is generally much better than northern european.

i think the worst country for food is bolivia. i am struggling to remember a good meal I had in bolivia

Posted by: Jez on March 21, 2007 12:41 AM

Authentic Korean food is awesome once you get the combinations right!~

I realise the menu may be quite daunting to figure out (or even translate) but once you know what ur ordering, you can discover flavours that are distinctly different from the rest of Asia.

Plus, they give you 5+ side dishes with each main!!!

Posted by: Speed012 on March 21, 2007 1:16 AM

Macau and Australia (larger cities) for fresh food ... sigh ... veggies, from trees, the sea, the paddock ...
Used to think the absolute pits was Romanian porumb (polenta porridge with pig fat added for special occasions), but Tibetan has turfed them off the bottom of the list - what other people actually PREFER their butter rancid to fresh and put into heavily salted tea or mix it with coarse barley meal? And yak meat comes fresh frozen or dried (complete with skin and dust) or plain boiled - but not too long because they like it chewy...
p.s. I am very aware that there isn't too much choice of food at 5000 metres above sea level, but after working among these lovely people for more than a year, what wouldn't I do for a mango, a steak, a king prawn or an espresso...

Posted by: oisaan on March 21, 2007 2:27 AM

Best: Definitely Japan, the live octopus and whale are a treat. Singapore also is up there, though the meat in one of the restaurants I think was of the k9 veriety.

Worst: Lets just say I am not a big fan of German quisine. There is only so many ways to disgise pork and potatoes... However 11/10 for their beer.

On Eastern Europe, I would have to disagree, well not sure what countries you include there, but some of the food I had in Poland was pretty awesome, particularly their deserts, the jam donuts are fantastic! The cabbage rolls and dumplings with some fried onion and bacon nothing better to have after a hard night on the spiritus and bimber.

Posted by: Dan on March 21, 2007 4:06 AM

Quite an oxymoron to read about Australians and Anglosaxons talking about good food. Leave culture where it belongs please, you haven't learned anything from a few hundreds years of Roman civilization. And you are not going to make Australia an authority on food. Your cheap wine for uneducated Asian taste is already enough.

Posted by: Please on March 21, 2007 4:44 AM

sorry, but you must forget Brazil, the world of flavors and good drinks!!!!!!!!

Posted by: petroneo from brazil on March 21, 2007 5:07 AM

Interesting to note that several of you have nominated Turkey as a favourite. I took a very cheap and cheerful tour of Turkey in 2005, where lunch usually consisted of toasted sandwiches of pink gelatinous muck they called meat and some cheese purchased from the local truck stop. I jumped from one filthy public toilet to another the entire time.

We're currently living in Central London and are loving the many and varied cuisine choices. I had the best Banoffee pie ever in a Polish cafe (Cafe Wanda - Clapham High St) during the weekend just gone. I can't get enough of the UK's obsession with goats cheese.

Posted by: AJ on March 21, 2007 5:09 AM

After living in Istanbul for several years, I love going to a meyhane in the balik pasaj (fish arcade) in Taksim to drink beer and eat meze.

there's great food all over the world - and crappy food too. lot of it depends on your mood, on your upbringing and your curiosity - as well as your luck. personally i like the horse meat ppl eat where i live now, i've enjoyed the grilled pig heart in puerto rico. i love thai and eastern european food, one for it's brilliance and the other for it's down to earthness. sometimes i miss raw hering and sometimes plain boiled fenil.

life's all about tastes, smells and feelings - food may be one of the big advocates of human souls.

Posted by: grimalkin on March 21, 2007 5:16 AM

Gotta agree with your assesment on the U.S.

I'm currently in Sth Carolina and just saw the latest best selling baseball fare.......deep fried battered cheeseburgers...

love from fat city

Posted by: ken on March 21, 2007 5:27 AM

I cannot believe people are putting French in as one of the best foods. Admitedly I have only been to Paris, however the food was so bad, one of my travel companions eventually chose to only eat McDonalds. I stuck it out, continueing to try to get a decent meal, but ended up very disappointed. When I ordered a crab entre, and got seafood extender, i was not impressed.
Japanese food is terrific, the USA depends on where you are, big cities have very good food, the south and smaller towns really struggle. I thoroughly enjoyed Serbian food, the marinated meats are very tasty. South American food is good if you eat as the locals do; Guineau Pig in Peru is great, Brazilian BBQ is very tasty, and Argentian steak is the best in the world. I found Russian food quite plain, however the caviar was plentiful and cheap. Scandinavian food is quite ordinary. I felt Italian food was good, but I preferred NY Italian.
I have always found the Indian food in Britain very good, however I have not been to India.

Posted by: Adam on March 21, 2007 5:30 AM

The best - a seafood platter at Noosa surf club in queensland after living in London for the past few years I am always craving cheap fresh seafood

The worst for me is definately Polish food, I was repulsed by the lard they spread on the bread - really revolting

Posted by: jane on March 21, 2007 7:04 AM

As cliched and obvious most of your choices are Ben I have to agree with all of them... perhaps that's why they're cliches.

Despite the vast improvements made in the UK it's still pretty bad for the average Pom. Too expensive, unavaible and not very fresh... how they think tastless, lifeless, deep fried, fatty pap is good really escapes me.

It may also be boring but I've actually found Australia to have the best food in the world. I don't just look for the most exotic available in the country but that which is freely available to all a country's inhabitants and on this measure the food in Australia on AVERAGE is fresher, cheaper and greater in variety than just about any place I've ever been... If a nation's soul is its food then then surely a measure must be the number of people able to worship at their country's gastronomical alter should be considered... hence Australia has it all.

Posted by: Tilt on March 21, 2007 7:11 AM

It is hard to beat Sydney for variety, quality and price.

Posted by: nav on March 21, 2007 7:36 AM

We kid ourselves that Australian food is superior. For example, most local Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai food is a caricature of the real thing - very poor local ingredients and very little imagination or innovation. Try eating out in Shanghai to see the contrast. There are exceptions of course but the degredation of Australian cuisine has got to do with agri-business. The market gardeners are disappearing from the edge of cities and most of what we eat has been grown far away. They produce varieties that can be shipped and stored for a long time, regardless of taste. For example Tomatoes, strawberries and bananas don't taste of anything any more. Most of what we - and restauranteurs - buy lacks freshness.

The food available at the market stalls of London is infinitely better than what is sold in the green grocers of suburban Sydney and fresh produce is virtually unobtainable in some remote parts of Australia. For the most part we eat s***

Posted by: George on March 21, 2007 7:46 AM

Any food in the Alsace region in France. mmmmmmmmm

Posted by: Ev on March 21, 2007 7:56 AM

I love Filipinos, but there is a very good reason why they don't open restaurants in western countries!

On the other hand, Vietnam was a delightful surprise - quality and full of flavour.

Posted by: Mark Elrick on March 21, 2007 8:26 AM

This is to all you snotty nosed, pompous dic*heads out there that are reading this forum just to pick up spelling mistakes and trying to somehow make yourself feel superior by correcting people on a bloody forum about food! Get over it! The forum clearly states, list the best food and worst food youv ever had so that is what people are doing. This is especially directed to you "reader", at least have the balls to post your name. I can just see what youd be like now at a bbq with a few friends, everyones having a few beers trying to relax and then you get the boring idiot who has to be proper and decides to correct people as they speak to make themselves look good. Heres some news for you, no one likes people like that, they are dull, boring and you can be sure that everyones talking bout you behind your back when you leave. Get a life you f*cking tossers and stop living life out of a dictionary!!!

The big thing about the US is you have to know where to eat. Of course you can get some great food in the big cities, but the moment you stray outside of those the food quality deteriorates. I'm living in Oklahoma right now, and of course the obscene amount of fast food places emphasise quantity rather than quality. Its absolute rubbish. But if get some local recommendations and head to some of the "mom and pop" type places you can find great burgers and Mexican and other things. You'll also find lots of "micro-breweries" that make their own cheap, decent in-house beer.

However I do miss Asian food! I would kill for some good Thai, Indian or Vietnamese. There are exceptions, but the basic rule of thumb is the Mexican is usually decent but the Asian is horrible once you go outside the big cities. Enjoy the Mexican while you can... its usually hard to find decent Mexican in Australia!

Posted by: Casey on March 21, 2007 8:38 AM

Best:
Plate of potato pankcakes covered with sour cream and bacon with a beer in Lithuania.

Seafood in Sabah. Ate like kings for less than $60 for the two of us

Turkey has some of the best food around. Loved it

Worst:
Lived for a year in the South of England and apart from some good Indian places there was NOTHING decent that we found.

Posted by: Nic on March 21, 2007 8:45 AM

The quality of seafood and red meat in South Africa is outstanding.

Mmmm, boerewors!!

Posted by: Ben on March 21, 2007 8:50 AM

Hi Ben
The best food in the world is in Australia. And I am not just saying that due to a sense of patriotism. I have lived abroad in Europe for over ten years (back in OZ now) and therefore have tasted food from many countries, but hands down australia is the best place. Even for backpackers.

I have had the best fish and chips here in OZ (fraser island),; the best pasta (italian salami, mussels, olives, garlic, chilli, fresh herbs, fresh parmesan). That was in Victoria. The best dessert, Roselle, italian restaurant, baked panna cotta with fresh strawberries.

Italy was a close second Sicily & Priano, Amalfi coast)- again fresh pasta without any OTT embellishments, just top quality fresh produce (that was in a budget pizzeria, so no problem for backpackers)

France was pretty darn good, their cheeses are an experience in themselves.

I've not had the chance to explore Asia yet, but am looking forward to eating my way through Thailand and Vietnam!

WORST? Unfortunately Ben, your right, Holland has diabolically crap food. Other than pancakes, which I love, but not 24/7, you struggle even for breakfast.

OK - about the England - yes it can still be terrible, and Wetherspoons is just a travesty of culinary experimentation, with us as the guinea pigs, but elsewhere there are advances (their supermarkets are actually stocking better produce and more interesting selections). I feel they struggle with summer foods. There salads are unimaginative and limp (this is relatively low priced food as opposed to having dinner at The Dorchester), the produce is just not fresh enough. However, they do the best damn fry-up in the world. Not sure that's the moniker they want but there you go......

Posted by: Chelley on March 21, 2007 8:50 AM

One of the best places that I have ever eaten was in Glebe Australia. That's It Thai Take-away (fondly nicknamed "the hole in the wall) had the best Pad Thai on the planet. I am bringing my family over in October and was disappointed to find no listing for the restaurant on Glebe Point Road. Maybe I might have to search out a new place for excellent Thai!

Posted by: Dawn Dowd on March 21, 2007 8:52 AM

Hey Guys,

I agree on Russian/Eastern European food purchased in restaurants but nothing beats home cooked meals. If you are over there and know the chef/owner (or is with someone who knows the chef/owner) then you MAY get a half decent meal but other than that stick to home cooked.

I cant really think of any bad food experiences - only dodgy seafood in India but that was a one off.

Posted by: Xenia on March 21, 2007 8:53 AM

Hallal hawker stalls near the hedonistic Beach Club in KL and the non hallal hawker stalls in sedate Tanjong Bungah in Penang Malaysia.

Posted by: charleskhoo on March 21, 2007 8:59 AM

Britain has food every bit as good as anywhere else. Yes its expensive but that comes with the territory. Use your head a bit and there are plenty of cheap options there or just about anywhere else.

Funny how British food always gets bashed when Aussies worship meat pies, pluto pops etc and have as big an appetite for fast junk food as anyone in the world. Krispy Kreme created pandemonium when it opened in this supposedly sophisitcated fine dining society...

The only good food in Oz is down to immigration and that includes the stolen ideas known as 'modern Australian'. God only knows what rubbish we would be stuck with if it was left to white Australia.

My guess Brian? British food. - Ben

Posted by: Brian on March 21, 2007 9:01 AM

I agree with your choices, including east Africa, but I wouldn't put Ethiopia in there. Ethiopian food is great! Spicy beef, yellow lentils, pumpkin curry, kita.... the list goes on. I also really like injera, it's a great way to mop up the food on your plate!

I do agree about Ugali... that stuff is barely edible. Kenyan and Tanzanian food I found very boring, and they ate way too much goat and tried to pass it off as lamb. Especially on Zanzibar!!

Moroccan food is quite nice, but it varies depending on where you eat - a great tajine can be the best food in the world... but can be a little hard to find.

I would rank Indian food as my number one. The quality was great wherever I ate.

Spanish food is not very good. Their spaghetti is awful. I just came back from Nias, an island in Indonesia and the food there was boring and terrible. Same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I hear that the food in the rest of Indonesia is a lot better though.

Posted by: Kay on March 21, 2007 9:24 AM

East Africa... yes indeed, probably the worst cuisine in the world, unless you like fried everything. There be some BIG butts here!!

Posted by: Dave on March 21, 2007 9:37 AM

Worst: Belgium. Not even the pommes frites with mayonaise I'd heard so much about - soggy, bland and simply awful. Had a turkey dinner in the US that was served with "cranberry sauce" still in the shape of a can BUT...
1.5 pounds of steamed Alaskan Snow Crab with butter sauce and a jug of beer for $US 4.95 or crayfish, creole style, washed down with a "Hurricane" have to be up there with some of the most memorable meals I've had. I agree with the past postings about this; food in the US can be a bit of a lottery.

Best: Thailand - Nothing like the night markets at 11:00 p.m after a few Mekongs.

France - the most perfect meal of fresh ham, wonderful cheese and bread with superb coffee in a lovely cafe near Poitiers. Sometimes the simplicity of it all just blows you away.

Ireland: Yeah, I know this one comes from left field but there's nowhere on earth you can get a better pork sausage. Also had the best fish and chips I have ever eaten in a tiny fishing village on the Antrim coast.

Mmm...anyone else getting hungry?

Posted by: Mrs B on March 21, 2007 9:41 AM

I travelled thru Uganda last year -the food was fantastic.

Also there is a great Ethiopian restaurant in Canberra in Dixon - well worth a try.

Posted by: banana on March 21, 2007 9:42 AM

The Scots may be the Kings of the Deep Fryer, but what about the Irish? Give them some magical ingredients with which to prepare a gourmet dish, and they'll just boil the bloody lot!

Posted by: Kitty on March 21, 2007 9:45 AM

Tunisia has some absolutely wonderful food and flavours. Became a regular of "lablebi" which is a chickpea stew sold by the roadside. Doesn't look too great but tastes wonderful and is good for you too!

Posted by: BigDaddyKane on March 21, 2007 9:46 AM

Hm, I think my favourite story is while in Northern Ireland I went to the local chinese place and I had to specifically ask for rice with my meal as opposed to hot chips(!!!!!) much to the amazment of the (chinese) owner.

Posted by: ~anavrinny~ on March 21, 2007 9:47 AM

Soi 24 Sukimvit Bangkok,The Seafood Market. 220 waiting staff on the floor at each service, acres of the freshest seafoods, fresh vegetables, a wine store and sushi bar and some one else pushes your trolley. Pay the check out chick, back to your table with way to much raw ingredient and a quick chat with your waiter about how you want it all cooked, then its gone, only to reapear as some of the freshest and finest Thai food you will ever eat. What shouldnt be in Bangkok is right next door that being the singlarly finest Spanish restaurant out side Europe Rioja Restaurant run by the afible Angel Esteban Ph Bkk 02 661 0964, sublime,greeted at the enterance with a whole leg of Iberico ham waiting to be carved and a killer wine list and all at Bangkok prices.These are 2 of the best, not forgetting Aussie, The worst Papua New Guinea, dont get me wrong I love the place and the people but the average PNG stodge does kill a highland pig.

Posted by: Rod on March 21, 2007 9:52 AM

Tapas in Anda Lucia in Spain was the most amazing food i've ever had - I struggle to have spanish back here in Oz due to it.

Also the panini's in italy that were simply a ciabatta roll, proscuitto, boccocini, tomato & basil where to die for - and where found at the truck stops along the italian freeways!

Posted by: solo traveller on March 21, 2007 10:00 AM

Indian food in India the best in the world except when one eats it Australia were it is is the worst!Sheer choice of Vegetarian food gets the thumbs up in India and the seafood along the coastal areas puts Sydneys seafood restaurants serving fish and Chips and Sea food platers in the dumps.Worst food in the world the so called "Chef hat"restaurants around the world patronised by culinary snobs!Thailand, indonesia and Malyasia come next in orderof the best food..

Posted by: Kashi mallya on March 21, 2007 10:07 AM

MOROCCO: I'm slightly surprised that no one has yet mentioned Moroccan food. It's one of the joys of the world: B'stiya (squab pie), all sorts of tagines (stews), excellent bread baked in open woodfired ovens, and, at one memorable storefront in Rabat, easily the best marzipan I've found.

Affordable fish dishes in seaside towns like Essaouira aren't hard to find. Plus one of the finest gelaterias that I've ever visited, can be found just across the boulevard from the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech.

Admittedly, the couscous avec sept legumes, a favorite in Casablanca, was a bit dull. The snails sold in the Rabat souk might have been fine, but the stall looked too manky for me to trust it. The lamb sausages, grilled by a street vendor in Fez, was inexpensive and delicious, but caused some gastric distress later. And that common Casablanca treat, grilled sardines, smells enticing, but I didn't get around to ordering it.

Pasta alla arrabiata and Egyptian-style shawarma are readily available in the more middle-class bits of Moroccan cities, and they're both cheap and reliably good, if not special in any gastronomic sense.

MALAYSIA: My ex-wife, who lived for some years in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, suggests that the restaurants in Ipoh (Malaysia) are not very good. Something to do with being typically operated by cooks, 2nd generation immigrants from Canton, who shun the usual Malaysian spices, I gather.

LONDON: London's cheaper class of ethnic restaurants and even all those full English breakfasts were fine, if not truly memorable.

There's a recent move in London these days to open "gastropubs." To the extent that they're affordable, they're actually quite good, in my experience. Sorry to all of you who haven't been so lucky in London, culinarily speaking.

PARIS: Parisian bistros were more than fine, and often memorable, in my limited experience.

MALTA: There are some places in Malta that serve excellent and affordable food. The national cuisine is quite Italianesque, as might be inferred from a look at the map of Malta's location. Local pastries and breads are also great. Sometimes the wines are great too, but this is a lot more hit-and-miss.

It might be a good idea to ask around before deciding upon a restaurant in Malta, though, as a century of British rule has left behind it a certain legacy of restauranteurs who serve bland, boiled pubgrub.

US/CANADA: The food at brewpubs, Korean/Singaporean/Thai/Vietnamese/Szechuan-Chinese restaurants, and (usually) Mexican restaurants is generally quite good in the US Pacific Northwest and lower mainland of British Columbia (Canada). Two good franchise restaurants in this region with backpacker-friendly prices are Taco Del Mar (for the fish burritos) and Pho Hoa (for the Vietnamese-style pho soup).

Almost all US fastfood (including Mexican-style fastfood) sold anywhere in the US, is below par, however.

IRAN: Finally, while I've yet to visit Iran, all the Persian food I've ever eaten has been marvelous. Iran is a place that I imagine would be a backpacker-gourmet's delight.

Posted by: Mark on March 21, 2007 10:17 AM

Oaxaca Market, Mexico
Breakfast of a chile relleno with mexican hot chocolate plus the atmosphere is hard to beat!

Posted by: Brent on March 21, 2007 10:21 AM

Brazilian food is a mixture of Portuguese, African and Indigenous South-American and can be really rich and rewarding if you speak a bit of Portuguese (so you actually know what you're eating). For spicy food, just go to the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Posted by: Adriana on March 21, 2007 10:21 AM

The Aussie breakfast is about the worst turnoff. It is like a dog's breakfast with the canned beans, cooked mushrooms, cooked eggs, and over cooked egg with bacon. There is nothing in this that will set you into a positive mood for the day.

Posted by: Irene on March 21, 2007 10:23 AM

1. Stinky tofu in Taipei - most foreigners don't try it, because it smells like rotting flesh. But, served with Thai basil and a medley of sauces, it's mouthwatering.

2. Cape brandied pudding in Stellenbosch

3. Nutella crepes in Paris

Don't eat meat anymore, but remember these:

4. Shellfish soup in Berlin

5. Homemade chicken livers cooked in butter, served with tomatoes and flat bread in Petra.

6. Roast beef with the world's best gravy, Esbjerg, Denmark.

oh, and more from my sweet tooth

7. the cheesecake served at Ti Amo's in Lygon St, Melbourne

I think I'm saying that if you hunt hard enough, most places have something memorably delicious.

Posted by: mnermner on March 21, 2007 10:24 AM

If you look hard enough you can find good food anywhere... (except England!)

My top gorging destinations:

1. Italy Italy Italy. Always
2. South of France - heavenly days, meals that go on for hours
3. Vietnam - delicous, delicate food
4. Thailand - always a classic
5. Indonesia - a real lottery but some great tastes off the beaten track (read: Bali)
6. Spain - also a bit of a lottery but paella at midnight after jugs of sangria is divine!
7. New York - some decent restaurants and many locals will be willing to give you their regular places. Comparatively less massive servings (at least in Manhattan) to most of the US of A!

By the way Ben, for the next post why don't you look at which country makes the best wine/beer - another lively debate is sure to follow. And its interesting how you often can't recreate the taste - I'm not a big beer drinker but Sol which tasted like liquid gold when drunk on a Mexican beach now tastes vaguely like a cheap shandy...

The wine I drank in France (not the stuff they export!) was the best in the world, closely followed by Chilean wine (ask a clued-up local for recommendations)

On that note, I'm going to the Hunter Valley this weekend with my boyfriend and cousin this weekend and we'd like to do a tour (so we don't have to drive) - can anyone recommend a good one??? I've already been to some of the larger vineyards so we'd like to see some smaller, lesser-known ones - preferably an informative, fun tour but without too much wine wank/sherry-swilling oldies!

Posted by: moderngyspy on March 21, 2007 10:30 AM

Re: The United States. For light food on the road, the Subway chain provides fresh veggie ingredients for you-make-'em subs; in Southern Louisiana and especially New Orleans the food can be sublime; seafood in Florida, chowder and salmon in the Northwest; chowder and lobster in the Northeast; BBQ in Texas and throughout the South; coast to coast--ask locals for the best Mexican restaurant; big cities for Asian/Indian especially(surprise)Houston,Texas. Happy Trails everyone!

Posted by: Mary on March 21, 2007 10:35 AM

"Criticising other people's cultures when your basic language skills is poor makes you look like a total dolt."

I think you may mean "...language skills are poor makes you look like a total dolt."

Posted by: Gus on March 21, 2007 10:40 AM

"but the rest is truck-stop diner stodge."

You are an ignorant turd. If you hate the US so much (as you clearly do) why do you continue to sully their fine shores with your presence?

I think if you read a previous blog on the world's most unfriendly country you'll find that I love the US. One of the world's most underrated destinations if you ask me. I just think their food sucks. Now get back in your box, there's a good lad. - Ben

Posted by: craig on March 21, 2007 10:54 AM

The best food in the world is Australia's Vegemite, & Aussie's backyard BBQ where in the world has these, all time favourites. Aussie, oui, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oui, oui, oui.

Posted by: MK on March 21, 2007 10:59 AM

The best falafel I have ever had was at a Sunday morning brunch in a cafe in Cairo, Egypt. I have never found anything else close.

Also in Egypt, the lemon drink they have everywhere - just what is needed on those 45 degree days

Posted by: Mmm on March 21, 2007 10:59 AM

Funny comment about East Africa... I found the food on the coast to be lovely - the indian and arabic influenced curries in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar etc. The fresh seafood around those areas is absolutely amazing. Inland - Uganda, DRC etc., the markets of grilled fresh chicken and goat meat. I didnt get sick once off market food - freshly grilled goat meat is defintely something i miss. its like pure unadulterated juicyness haha.

Have to agree with Thailand having the best food in Asia, with Vietnam a close second. I am a little biased however, after spending a year living in Thailand, but only a month travelling through Vietnam. Gotta love the fruit you get after a Vietnamese meal to leave a sweet taste in the mouth :)

Trad Burmese food isn't great - it is for the most part quite salty. You can get good Indian food there, however. Weirdest food I ate there - donkey skin soup in one of the jungles a smart traveller probably shouldn't be in. In the roadside stalls, the sheer variety of dishes is amazing (but most of it is bad ;) ) A simple order of one dish usually results in 9-10 side dishes (no, not being charged for all of them ;) ).

Just coz I can, I will end on a completely unrelated topic. Apart from its obvious problems, Burma is a wonderful place with wonderful people. Don't judge it till you have been there people.

Posted by: WOP on March 21, 2007 11:05 AM

CANADA.
Breakfast:Pancakes smothered in maple syrup toped with local berries

Lunch: Fresh caught barbequed Salmon while camping.

Dinner: Bison steak with local fiddleheads.

Canadian food rocks!!!!!!

Posted by: Ernie on March 21, 2007 11:08 AM

Nothing could beat the food in Vietnam and Cambodia + the cheap beer - still coming to terms with the fact that i can't find anything similar at home!

Posted by: Bel on March 21, 2007 11:12 AM

Agree with the US thing. If you live here for any length of time, you get VERY tired of it, and pig out on frozen veggies from the supermarket. Everything is processed... even the fresh produced! I don't know how they do it, but they do.

Prepared food is stodge. They mix everything together. There's none of the fresh, bright flavours we are used to (unless it's made by Mexicans). They over-flavour and over-mix everything. Nothing's ever simple. I expect it's because the ingredients are 2nd rate.

Posted by: ant on March 21, 2007 11:15 AM

Posted by: Mrs B at March 21, 2007 9:41 AM

Mrs B - I had a similar experience in France when I was travelling with my brother. It was somewhere on one of the secondary roads just out of Nice, at a village cafe heading towards the Alps ......it was only a baguette, but simply the best ham, tomato and cheese with homemade mayonnaise I've ever had. It probably cost something like the eqv of $5.00, but it was everything food should be

Posted by: Chelley on March 21, 2007 11:16 AM

The reason the eggs in China are so tasteless is because they might not be real eggs. There are "fake" eggs made from flour and other chemicals and is basically tasteless. If you see 2 prices when buying eggs, get the expensive one because the cheaper one is almost guaranteed to be fake eggs.

As for great food:
Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Turkey

Posted by: SMJ on March 21, 2007 11:18 AM

Posted by: moderngyspy at March 21, 2007 10:30 AM

I can recommend Mistletoe boutique winery and Bimbadgen (this is now larger than boutique). Both have some great wines to try.....have fun!

Posted by: Chelley on March 21, 2007 11:21 AM

BBQ sweetcorn cooked on the side of the road in rural Thailand, mixed with butter, sugar and salt, served in a cup. Was sick for days afterwards but it was worth it :-)

Posted by: Rodders on March 21, 2007 11:23 AM

Regarding American, true, depends where you are. For Mex, Calif. is pretty good, esp. Southern. A wet burrito with serrano salsa makes your day (and your morning glory a breeze). You get a decent steak, too. Deep-dish pizza Chicago style: you can live on one for a week. Pacific Rim Asian or fish: OK, but not as good as in Sydney, not as fresh, not as fragrant. Good bacon at supermarkets, not just Woolies-rashes. Vegemite and Dilmah tea you get airlifted from Oz. You can survive.

(long-term Sydneysider in NorCal)

Posted by: Tom on March 21, 2007 11:24 AM

Referring back to the article "The best (and worst) food in the world" it is quite ironic that all countries that involve rich culture and tradition involve great, exotic and delicious types of foods, while countries that are anything but original, such as western countries like Britain, USA, involve the worst foods. Afterall, these countries have all been colonised from one culture, and that is Great Britain.
Funny that the author didn't mention Australia as the worst foods... I m pretty sure that Australia has got some decent restaurants, like US or UK have... but Australian Food? Beer? Sausages? Barbeque? You gotta be kidding...

Posted by: Enis on March 21, 2007 11:34 AM

Working out the menu in Outer Mongolia must be hell.
You get sheep and cabbage for breakfast. The same for lunch and the same for supper.
And, should you fancy a picnic you will get COLD sheep and cabbage.
After a week or so you start to smell of sheep and cabbage.
But never mind - in the countryside you can also get fermented mares milk as a drink Yummy.

Posted by: leo on March 21, 2007 11:39 AM

coupla places you're wrong:

Ethiopian food is delightful, although injera takes a bit of getting used to. You're right about the rest of East Africa. Woeful, absolutely terrible food. Overboiled rice with a rubbery hunk of meat & unflavoured boiled beans is pretty much standard. The most boring cuisine on earth.

Indian food is extremely hit & miss, but with many more misses than hits. I love India & have spent over a year there on four separate trips, but after more than about two weeks of the exact same Punjabi menu in almost every single restaurant in the North, you would kill your own mother for the opportunity to eat something that isn't just a pool of spiced slops (and mediocre, overcooked slops made from crap ingredients, at that).

The South is a completely different matter, especially Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu. That's some of the best food in the world, especially cheap, bottomless banana-leaf meals.

Posted by: ali on March 21, 2007 11:46 AM

how come noone mentioned morocco and northern africa??
some of the best food i had is moroccan or egyptian-the freshness of veggies and other products is outstanding, they have french pastries with oriental influences-mouth watering.

second best is whoever thought croissants belong to france hasn't tried my favorite roman bar just around my house-24hrs freshly baked with coffee that is close to heaven.............

now i am in china and struggeling with the oily shanghainese crap!

Posted by: eva on March 21, 2007 11:48 AM

moderngyspy: Ernest Hill is absolutely fabulous. I did a wine tour with about 8 of my friends, and it was the only winery that everyone made a purchase from.

Another good one is Petersons (I think thats the name). Just as your tour guide for the one with the award winning dessert wine and port.

Posted by: SMJ on March 21, 2007 11:50 AM

Thai is the best....

But plsss dont give your verdict by having Thai food in Australia or any part of the world...U need to try it in Thailand to know what it is about..!!! The street food, vibrant city n the soft spoken thais will make ur holiday ...n once you have had it u will never forget it n long for it again n again..

Indin food is great too..Great flavours ...lots of variety..but b careful of the street food...u might end up spoiling the rest of ur vacation..!!

Posted by: Gagan on March 21, 2007 11:51 AM

Sri lankan food has to be up there. Similar to Indian, but also quite distinctive.

Posted by: Zara on March 21, 2007 12:01 PM

Jane:

The snack you had at the Christ in Rio isn't enough to classify Brazilian food as among the worst in the world. Brazil is a BIG country (bigger that Australia) and every region has its own peculiar cuisine.

Also, to say that Portuguese food didn't travel to Brazil is insane, as Brazilian food is deeply influenced by Portuguese cuisine. Most Brazilians still eat cod every Friday following the Portuguese tradition.

Besides, Sao Paulo is a gourmet's paradise, with all sorts of restaurant you can think of (a result of the mass imigration to the country in the post-war) at affordable prices.

Posted by: Adriana on March 21, 2007 12:04 PM

At 10:24 AM, mnermner says
"1. Stinky tofu in Taipei - most foreigners don't try it, because it smells like rotting flesh. But, served with Thai basil and a medley of sauces, it's mouthwatering."

Taiwanese are actually really big on their food. For example, if you go to the night markets in Taipei, you can find an array of food from stinky tofu to oyster omelet, spicy beef jerky to fish cakes on a stick, or even fried pigeon eggs and toasted yam. The latest fad - mega seafood balls with squid, fish, beef strips, cabbage, noodle, etc. all rolled up and served in the size of cricket ball. Almost every month, there is something new and different. The selection is endless and the taste – well, you can imagine it!

Posted by: Genie on March 21, 2007 12:07 PM

After travelling for some weeks in Alaska and the Canadian Rockies - both glorious places - we were desperate for some nice light Asian-style food. The pickings weren't good in Revelstoke, British Columbia but we decided to take a chance on the Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant which is pretty much smack in the middle of the main drag.

This was a seriously bad move. The chicken dish we ordered congealed within two minutes, so much so that the serving spoon became stuck. It looked like one of those plastic replicas you sometimes see in the windows of Japanese restaurants. Sadly, during the two minutes the chicken was mailable we ate some of it. We were home a full two weeks before we passed the stuff!

Travelling in Canada or the US is no gastronomic delight. Sure there is great food to be found but more often it’s just great amounts of food.

Posted by: Glenn on March 21, 2007 12:08 PM

I never post comments - but a blog on food?
How could I resist. I grew up in East Africa and I have
to say I love Ethiopian food. I have to agree that ugali can be a little difficult to swallow, but eaten with sukuma wiki, it can be quite nice (but only occasionally). Funnily, enough the best steak I ever had was in Uganda at the Nile River Explorer base! Hey, Ben, while you were in Kenya did you check out the Carnivore? German sausages, fantastic, German Pastry shops, I have difficulty walking past. Thai and Chinese are also good. I guess e/o justlikes different things though.

Posted by: Tim on March 21, 2007 12:12 PM

I lived in southern Japan for a while and food there is AMAZING. Sushi restaurants, okonomi yaki (particularly in Hiroshima where it is served with udon or soba noodles), and the fantastic pub-style Izakaya's. I'm now living in Korea, where the food isn't bad, but it certainly doesn't stack up to Japan.

'Best' award must go to Malaysia and Vietnam - all i ever wanted to do was eat!! Worst place for food was Vanuatu. With the exception of the fabbo coconut crab, the rest of the food was horrible...

But have you eaten more than 20km from the centre of and Australian capital? Its slim pickings ou there folks.

Posted by: tim on March 21, 2007 12:23 PM

I found italian food very plain - must have been me though because everyone else raves about it, but i think the italian foods in Sydney have more flavours fused in to it.
French - great Cheeses (and holland as well...)

One place i do recommend, but is not overly mentioned in this blog is Canada - well Vancouver anyway, for its seafood. The granville island markets are nothing short of fantastic.

Morroco has great food as well.

Posted by: M on March 21, 2007 12:23 PM

Look, it's true that we are pretty bllody lucky for being able to eat almost-real italian, thai, indian and local cousine in one single destination: Syndey !! you can definetly get brilliant food around. And for sea food, Peruvian (Lima, Peru) sea food is absolutly insane, the best "cebiche" ever and nice produce too.

Posted by: Nathan on March 21, 2007 12:27 PM

Malaysia and Singapore take the cake!! Chinese, Malay, Indian and hundreds of variations of each as you go from town to town. Even Western Style food is done well.

Posted by: Sam on March 21, 2007 12:31 PM

Had the most wonderful hot smoked spicy wild salmon from the Bergen fishmarkets in Norway.The pastrami style smoked fish was also sensational. When in Norway I would not eat anywhere else.

Posted by: Tulleybelton on March 21, 2007 12:33 PM

The best: Morocco for the seafood, tagines, dates, figs and orange juice.

Anything from a boulangerie in France.

Steamed jiaozi in Beijing and hotpot in Chengdu.

Pastel de nata with a coffee in Portugal.

Tapas in San Sebastian, Spain

The worst: Tibet by a mile. Then Malta.

Posted by: Cathryn on March 21, 2007 12:40 PM

Lamb shish-kebab BBQed over coals in half a 44 gallon drum with just cracked black pepper and half a lemon to squeeze over it... on a Greek island. Simple, but delicious!

Posted by: PJK on March 21, 2007 12:43 PM

Oh, Central American food is also pretty awful.

Normally, I would rate a country as bad for food if it satisfies these two conditions:
* there is little or no variety - ie you are stuck eating the exact same thing every day; and
* what there is, is generally bland & flavourless.

The standard meal that you eat every single day is pretty much like East African crap: plain rice, a hunk of awful meat, some unflavoured boiled beans, a blob of flavourless cheese, and bland tortilla after tortilla. I'd kill myself before trying to choke down another nauseating tortilla, ever again in my life.

Posted by: ali on March 21, 2007 12:45 PM

Japanese food in Japan is not surprisingly excellent, as one poster mentioned its hard to come back here and find the sashimi/sushi of a similar quality and standard. The quality of seafood here is not the problem, even in the best japanese restaurants here the sushi don't quite compare. Anyone here can be a self-made "sushi chef", over there they train for years, they're like uber monk sushi chefs - that's the difference. You go to some sushi trains here and you see horrible crimes being committed on fish meat.

Now, that said, as another poster mentioned food in Japan can be quite cheap and affordable. There's a misconception (going from awhile back) that food there is expensive. I can tell you now, restaurants and eateries over there are dying for business so not only are they ultra competitive they are of an excellent standard. There's the usual gyoza and ramen bars which are good value for money, other dishes such as taco-yaki, yaki-tori, okonomi-yaki, oinari-san - they are all cheap.

ps. sorry, I should mention that there are a lot of nice Japanese restaurants over here that do the whole menu reasonably well - I couldn't get by without mine.

Posted by: H on March 21, 2007 12:48 PM

I don't know how they managed to do it but the Samoans managed to murder all eating pleasure from the seafood they cooked. Such a shame as it's a brilliant place to visit. Oh... and bread fruit???????

Norway was pretty foul too - jellied fish for breakfast? But I was a backpacker and even the cheapest food cost an arm and a leg. I'm sure the more expensive stuff probably tasted quite nice.

I rate parts of America - best mexican i've ever had (can't wait to get to mexico!), and gumbo.... yuuuuuum... creole and cajun food is great, even if a lot of it is deep friend! You can get a bloody fine steak over there and I did enjoy my chicago deep dish pizza. The rest... YUCK!

Thailand was good - tried a few dodgy street markets and didn't get crook. Probably because there was so much chillie it made me cry!

Italian pizzas and GELATO!!! Yum... I'm not an icecream eater normally and I was eating two a day (nocciola e limon - but not together).

Swiss food is crap... but the chocolate... sigh... even the cheap stuff is awesome.

french cheese... combined with a visit out to Epernay to taste the champagne. Brilliant!

Posted by: Caz on March 21, 2007 1:05 PM

Agree with most comments..

Whilst in London, I was actually shocked by the quality of food. For such a populous city (thats probably why..) the food was horrendous.

Fortunately for me, I was staying in Bethnal Green, right near Brick Lane.
The sheer volume of Indian and Pakistani food gave me plenty of variety.. But in the end we found a very very hip place called 'The Big Chill Bar' that served some absolutely divine food and cocktails.. Needless to stay.. we ended up hanging out there quite a bit.

Posted by: Pending on March 21, 2007 1:10 PM

Catch a bus in north Thailand and you might be offered a bamboo tube. Peel away the sides of the tube and you'll find delicious steamed rice with coconut and other spices inside. Kow laam they call it.

Posted by: Tim on March 21, 2007 1:10 PM

I've gotta disagree with your assessment of U.S. food. I've traveled widely in the States, and if you avoid fast food outlets and chain restaurants (HoJo's, Bob's Big Boy, Denny's etc), you do much better.
To find the good restaurants, draw on local knowledge. Sidle up to your hotel clerk and ask, 'Where do YOU go when you want a really good dinner for not much money?' Watch his eyes light up and he'll say, 'There's this great little place with a view of the river that serves the best catfish and hush puppies ...' Pay close attention to his directions and GO THERE.

Posted by: Donna on March 21, 2007 1:10 PM

Our family stopped at a Little Chef in England for a quick meal. Our daugther thought she'd been given calamari (which she loves) but immediately spat it out when she tried it. It turned out to be an onion ring deep-fried in batter. Who else but the English would batter an onion ring?

Posted by: Tim on March 21, 2007 1:15 PM

Have to agree with WOP on Burmese cuisine - not the greatest, very salty and lacking much other flavour - and if you're vegetarian, all you can generally find is steamed vegetables ("Why", my vegetarian girlfriend screamed, "can't they at least flavour the veggies with the stuff they put in the meat dishes"). Great place to visit, though.

But I have to give a big wrap to Cambodian food, which is overlooked sitting as it is between Thailand and Vietnam (true, also good places for a feed). The meals I had at the tiny roadside restaurants sitting on plastic chairs under a thatched roof at Angkor Wat are some of the best I've ever had... Sadly, I can't find anywhere in Sydney that recreates that Cambodian flavour!

Posted by: Jez on March 21, 2007 1:16 PM

Best; Vietnam. Even the truck stop food was incredible.

Worst; Mongolia. Horse milk curd mixed with rock hard millet and boiled mutton. Tastes almost as good as it sounds. Even scared the notoriously culinary adventurous Cantonese people I was travelling with.

Posted by: Jack on March 21, 2007 1:16 PM

Best: Crab cakes in the USA, Green papaya salad in Vietnam, mushrooms on polenta in Milan, weisswurst in Luxembourg...all of these are fond memories of past travels.

Worst: A bowl of soup made from an unidentifed vegetable in Vietnam (with the identical consistency and taste of mucous)..but finished with a smile and a thumbs up as my generous and kind hosts looked on. A burger at a pub in Wesport Ireland that tasted "funny" and ended with me in hospital with severe dehydration following severe food poisoning (and problems with my liver for months...I could barely knock back a pint of Guinness a night!).

Incidentally, for those who find it hard to find truly vegetarian food in some countries... especially in third world, poorer countries, of course vegetarianism is not necessarily a religious or an ethical thing but one borne of economics. In those places, the idea that you would voluntarily forgo "meat" when it is available, is quite a foreign concept i.e. the idea you can pick and choose where your nutrition comes from is not in their experience. So, for example, if you go to a country like say, Vietnam (where the only true vegos are buddhist monks and nuns) and order a "vegetarian curry", they will often throw in bits of whatever meat they have...you're their guest and they assume you'll thank them for the generous "bonus". In fact to refuse can be considered quite offensive....the whole 'saving face" thing. I travelled with three vegos and we found this to be the case at nearly every cafe / restaurant / private meal.

I was certainly glad in those circumstances to be an equal opportunity omnivore because I loved it all(except of course for the "mucous soup").

Posted by: Ricki on March 21, 2007 1:20 PM

Best: Roast goose in the new territories, HK - a little off-the-wall shop with tables inside and out and an outside wok station where the guy lightly fried the vegies.

My dad and stepmum took me there back in 2004 - alas, I can't seem to persuade them to take me back there when I visit them in HK! I don't know why - possibly my dad doesn't even remember where it is and can't be assed telling me. :(

I'm in agreement that, overall, American food is the worst. They have so many different kinds of foods...but the 'typically american' food is crap.

(Moment of supreme irony: a friend from the midwest - arguably the US region with the least dietary variation - went to the UK and pronounced the food 'crappy'. I thought that was rich, coming from her.)

Exception is a restaurant called The Melting Pot - it's a chain, yes, and an expensive one to boot - basically a fondue restaurant, but beautifully tasty.

Posted by: serryce on March 21, 2007 1:21 PM

You have to get into the culture to really understand a countries culinary delights. How often do locals go out to a local restaurant. Make friends with the locals and you get a real experience - Meat and potato’s done in an amazing gravy from Finland soaked up with the worlds best bread. A vegetarian hot bowl from a community in Philippines. YUM. The best food isn’t in the restaurants. Go find it.

Posted by: Jane on March 21, 2007 1:26 PM

I must stand up for Brazilian food as well. Admittedly I had a native with me for most of my travels so they knew what was good. Some of the home cooked foods were awesome as well. The Churrascaria's are a carnivores delight could not get enough of them and if you go to the ones the locals eat at as cheap as anything.

Just don't marry a Brazilian (but that is another story).

999999 woohoo

Posted by: Bear on March 21, 2007 1:33 PM

Worst food: just about everything in England. Belgium -- their idea of haute cuisine is sticking mayo on hot chips. Germany, if you're not interested in sausages
Best food: seafood restaurant in Milan. Ten courses. Five hours. Someone else was paying. SUBLIME

Also think filo food isn't that bad, you can have crap versions of any food. I love pan de sal, encymada (spelling?), crispy pata, could name more but too embarrassed to try spelling them.

Posted by: prunesquallor on March 21, 2007 1:45 PM

My best country for food would have to be Italy by a large margin. You just can't go wrong- fresh ingredients, fresh flavours, and on the whole very healthy for you- even a humble tuna rosetta oozing olive oil and tomato slices is fantastic. Second place would have to go to France, although in my opinion they rely too heavily on their sauces to define their cuisine. Third place would need to go to either Thailand or Vietnam- again delicate, fresh flavours. India rates an honourable mention as well, although I have not been over so can't comment on the standards of the authentic stuff.

Worse country for food that I have experienced would probably be England, although I didn't have the funds to try the top end of town. Having said that, I managed to eat lots of nice cheese quite happily out of supermarkets, and the stonefruits imported from the mediteranian were very enjoyable, and easy to find. I also enjoyed some of the counter lunches the pubs offer over there- had some half decent bangers and mash washed down with a few pints of Boddingtons.

Posted by: Gough on March 21, 2007 1:51 PM

Your entries always have me laughing from start to finish.

Loved Weatherspoons, loved an incredible raspberry cheese found in Amsterdam, the banana pancakes made infamous by The Beach are also amazing, Hawaiian plate lunches, and dont get me started on how good Indonesian warung food is.

Bad food I've had: Khmer, Denny's, a particular kebab in Byron Bay, and why is it that fish and chips in any country sucks, other than that found in Cronulla and Tuncurry?

One pt of contention though! While I've never been to Ethiopia, the Ethiopian restaurant here in Canberra gets my vote for a dinner out every time.

Posted by: Cindy on March 21, 2007 1:54 PM

Our family stopped at a Little Chef in England for a quick meal. Our daugther thought she'd been given calamari (which she loves) but immediately spat it out when she tried it. It turned out to be an onion ring deep-fried in batter. Who else but the English would batter an onion ring?

Posted by: Tim at March 21, 2007 1:15 PM

Have you ever been to Hungry Jacks? You have really lievd a pretty sheltered existence if you were blown away by the novelty of an onion ring.

Posted by: craig on March 21, 2007 1:57 PM

Can I say, stop the flaming, kids! The idea of this blog was to ask for different opinions and experiences. We're all entitled to them! No one's impressed by annonymous posturing.

Now that that's out of the way, can someone tell me how the fare fares in Germany? One day, my partner and I would love to travel through Italia, sampling tiramisu, scampi and coffee as we go; then head into Germany. My only experiences of German cuisine have been at Lowenbrau... I suppose a few days of flamenbrot could be good?

Posted by: PO'd on March 21, 2007 2:03 PM

Hey, have you been to Greece? I thought there was a lot more variety, cheaper and better than Italy... in fact, one of the best in Europe! You cannot beat a real nice Greek salad, with octopus, and some lamb.

I haven't been to Turkey, India or Japan, so I cannot comment, but nevertheless, all those 3 destinations I heard are really nice.

Spain has nice food too. Italy is a lot of pasta and pizza, and you can forget their boring salads.

France has beautiful food! Gotta agree! The breads are the best I have ever eaten in the World! The best snail I have eaten was in France.

Been to Cuba? Don't expect great food. Quite ordinary, although one of the best rice dishes I had was Cuban Fried Rice which comes with banana! Quiet nice!

Brazil has a lot of meat dishes and lacks salads. I love my salads.

As for the USA, the best restaurants are the "hip" ones away from tourist areas. I went to one in the Central West, and the food was one of the best I have tried in my life! No joke! New York is all about quantity but not quality. I found their delicatessens really nice though. ;)

Posted by: Joe on March 21, 2007 2:22 PM

my faves -
value for money and consistently good - Malaysia.

excellent fresh food you can sample as you go - downstairs supermarkets in Tokyo.

stinky tofu / cho dofu - (mnermner/Genie's comments): I love this but last year in Taipei we searched high and low without finding a decent one. is this a dying art ?

souvlaki - Athens - this is one thing Melbourne has that I've not found a decent one in Sydney - can we import one from Melbourne ?

Posted by: frank on March 21, 2007 2:26 PM

Worst food? America. Typical greasy fast food, in huge serving sizes. You can see how many of them have super-sized themselves.

Best food? America. I've travelled in quite a bit of the world and some of the best restaurants I've eaten in have been in the USA, including one Zen-style Asian-influenced place in San Francisco that was absolutely sublime.

Also had some of the best home-cooked meals while travelling in the USA.

France also rates a mention as some of the best food, with their emphasis on fresh ingredients.

Also a streetside Vietnamese baguette filled with meats and veges and sprinkled with coriander and chili, washed down with a coffee sweeted with condensed milk: and all for 50c or some trifling sum

Posted by: Johnny Kaput on March 21, 2007 2:37 PM

[someone said:
Falling fast: Thailand]

Yeah, I was not impressed at all with Thai food in Thailand, though I was not very adventurous and didn't go to southern Thailand. Was expecting much better.
The meat quality was just too poor.

Great food prices though.

Posted by: jimhaz on March 21, 2007 2:40 PM

PO'd, if you're heading to Germany then OD on greens & fruit beforehand - all Teutonic goodness has cardiologists' eyes showing up dollar signs.
Steer clear of most of the restaurants and stock up in the delis / smaller supermarkets. Breads & cakes, sausages, hams, cheeses, cream yogurts and CHOCOLATES (even the cheap ones). Head to a Konditorei for the coffee and cake :-)
All to die for, if not of!

Posted by: oisaan on March 21, 2007 2:43 PM

PO'd -

can i say that german cuisine is vastly underrated - if you embrace it. i think it's the same with most cuisines, you have to take the risks and eat like the locals. so be prepared to accept the huge carb, meat and thick sauce meals (don't ever ask for the 'light' option!) - and if you can, sit down and do lunch as the main meal of the day. try sleeping on a 9pm feed of schnitzel and spatzle and you'll know what i mean!

the bakeries are delightful, the beer is even better, germans love food and are passionate about it. try the special wurst unique to each different region. their goose, venison and other game in winter is spectacular, with some chestnut rotkohl, dumplings and gravy. on the french border you will also get some great wine and german-french fusion dishes (flammenbrot, or flammkuechen, is one of these).

Having said that I am perfectly happy trying anything the Americans can invent. I live on the edge.

Posted by: Nigel on March 21, 2007 2:51 PM

Pho in Vientiane Laos is is much better than Vietnam

But stay clear of the marinated pigs brains

Posted by: TK on March 21, 2007 2:58 PM

Just to be contrary... I had Ethiopian once... though in a restaurant in Washington DC. Maybe they changed some ingredients but I enjoyed it greatly... and thanks to you I now know what the bread is called (I'd forgotten). I don't know anout dishcloth, to me it was more like half crumpet half car wash sponge, but again tasted OK and all the pores were excellent for sucking up sauce.

I'll have to hunt around- are there any Ethipoian places in Oz? The "African" places seem to be more Moroccan/ North African in culinary orientation

Great description! That tops the dishcloth. - Ben

Posted by: albedo on March 21, 2007 3:05 PM

Plus, they give you 5+ side dishes with each main!!!

Posted by: Speed012 at March 21, 2007 1:16 AM

yes they give you 5 side dishes but the overall price is expensive !!!

Posted by: food lover on March 21, 2007 3:06 PM

I cannot disagree more about American food. I am still having withdrawals from the wonderful tex-mex food I ate continuously in Texas.

The only thing better than the food in America was the service! I don't know any 24 hour places you can eat breakfast or a steak or anything you ask for here. Maybe the next time you visit America try somewhere outside of the fast food restaurants... I can see how you could confuse them with real restaurants though... *sarcasm!*

I think any truly mixed country is always going to have better food simply due to the variety of people and the culinary traditions they have brought with them.

Great blog, but can we get an RSS feed so we can keep up to date easily? Why isn't this a standard feature for all Herald blogs?

C

A what with a what-what? I'm gonna need to call the help desk. - Ben

Posted by: C on March 21, 2007 3:18 PM

Just what I like - food and more of it. No wonder I'm more of a man than I ever was.....

Anyway this was just to have a bit of a go at the clowns/morons/"don't ever say anything nasty-wasty about anyone coz they'll get hurt feelings" brigade.

This blog (and I can't speak about all blogs) is about FOOD and what the BLOGGER LIKES for crying out loud!!!

How can he talk about food he hasn't tried. And how is he putting an entire culture down if he says he doesn't like a country's food!!

I really do think that the worst thing about the internet is it brings out the organisms that live between the high tide and low tide marks.

Cheers mate - I enjoyed your writing even if I didn't agree with it all.

BUT PLEASE - don't ever criticise a meat pie with sause or I'll curl up into the foetal position and make moaning sounds (sort of like a do-gooder maybe when you threaten to make them accountable or ask them what they have actually produced).

I feel better now :-)

Posted by: Colin on March 21, 2007 3:47 PM

I think that the cuisine of a country should be judged by its lowest form, i.e. truckstop, streetstall, hawker, and by that measure the plat du jour from any truckstop restaurant in France is the hands-down winner.

Posted by: brad on March 21, 2007 3:49 PM

I have to agree with you about Thai food here,

Thai food in Thailand is little short of an orgasmic experience with street food being my favourite distraction every few hours and after many years of travel through the entire country I now have a hankering, every morning for breakfast, no matter where I am, for Cow Pat Gai (Thai fried rice with chicken, fish sauce and chili).

Such a simple dish, but its a staple.

Posted by: Andrew Whitehead on March 21, 2007 3:49 PM

~posted by oisaan at 2:43 PM~

Yeah, that's what a friend of mine recommended when she came back from Germany - the konditorei and 'delicatessens' are the best!

*is planning to go through Europe later this year*

Posted by: serryce on March 21, 2007 3:52 PM

Worst - home town of Darwin, fruit & veges shipped down to Sydney markets, then shipped back up to us again. Coles and Woolies have a hell of a lot to answer for up here

Best - home town of Darwin - Mindil and Parap markets - thank god all the asian stallholders grow their own fresh veges

My wife and I just came back from a trip to Australia and we were STUNNED by the quality and variety of your food. The freshness, the inventive cooking and the reasonable prices blew us away. We mentioned it to friends here in London and, of those who had visited, all agreed and said the same. They did not imagine going to oz for a culinary holiday - but wow!

Posted by: mfriley on March 21, 2007 4:39 PM

Argentina, both ends of the scale. If you like beef it's heaven and if you don't like ham and cheese you're in trouble because it's the only thing they seem to put between bread.

Go anywhere where lunch is included and without fail it'll be ham and cheese sandwiches. Flying from Buenos Aries to Sydney - 2 out of 3 meals were ham and cheese. Never want to see it again.

Posted by: Dan on March 21, 2007 4:41 PM

I have to agree with brad at March 21, 2007 3:49 PM. If your willing to spend the money you will get a great feed anywhere in the world, it's the bottom end of town that sets the standard.

Posted by: KJ on March 21, 2007 4:41 PM

Enjoyed the best steak i've ever had in Orlando. Cooked over a grill in plain sight of the diners. Big juicy & tender, full of flavour. Worked out at about $35.00 AUS dollars. For an extra dollar you could add a Maine lobster half the size of your arm. doesn't get much better than that....except in New Orleans prior to the disaster.

Posted by: jim on March 21, 2007 4:41 PM

Turkey - pre-prepared food that select as you go along with a tray in Istanbul ie great. Stuffed capsicum,cabbage rolls with mint in them, rice puddings, eggs floating on tomato sauce.

Vietnam - the pho is great and I had fruit and vegetable spring rolls in Hanoi that were brilliant

Zimbabwe - a tourist restaurant called The Boma had brilliant warthog and antelope dishes.

Santorini - fried haloumi covered in lemon juice is great.

Ireland - had one of the best salmon dishes ever

Canada - lived there for a while doing university. The Quebecois dish called poutine is very tasty on one hand but a heart attack in a cup on the other. Fries with cheese curds and gravy. They also have great doughnuts but otherwise unless it's fried...... a wasteland. (Sorry I love Canada and the Canadians but... of course there are exceptions like anywhere).

Cuba - was expecting something exotic and spicy. Plain ordinary.

Malaysia - the makan night markets are great

USA - hmmm. Some good stuff once you get past the plague of chain restaurants.

France - pastries for breakfast with tangy goat's or sheep's cheese

Solomon Islands - fairly ordinary

NZ - loved it. Some of the best food I've had.

moderngyspy re Hunter Valley - Audrey Wilkinson winery is nice. Great view from the top of a small hill. They do a round (rectangualr actually) table session for groups where they give you each wine to sample and talk about each one. Nice people. Great place to stay is www.ivillini.com.au - a faux Tuscan villa run by a really nice lady in Lovedale. Have stayed there 3 times and it's off the beaten track but not too far.

Posted by: David on March 21, 2007 4:48 PM

Being invited to a small indigenous village in Taiwan to celebrate Chinese New Year was special. And so was the food! I was informed that the young men of the village had been hunting and had been lucky enough to catch what was to be the greatly anticipated main "treat" of the lavish banquet. As the lid was removed from the enormous wok I was presented with the sight of an animal floating in what looked like yellow soup. Skinned, but still with head, four legs and rather long tail I was told, "ah, very special treat, and just for you, our honoured guest, Mr Glenn." Never having had the desire or need to drink urine I can but only guess that the mountain squirrel I had to eat/drink would approximate the taste of hot urine. I knew that to refuse the edible 'treat' was impossible - and that I would be asked to have a second bowel. It was so difficult not to gag or vomit from the disgusting taste and aroma. I didn't have a second helping!! ## In north-western China where food is scarce I once had braised camel knees with half cooked rice and cabbage. ##

Posted by: Glenn J. on March 21, 2007 4:55 PM

agreed...

worst by far is UK

best by far is France

I do think Australia rates pretty highly though. The thing I miss most about Oz when O/S is our food.

Posted by: mandy on March 21, 2007 5:07 PM

Say what you want, but after a night out on the Heinekens in Amsterdam, a few "Kroketten" or "Frikandellen" from the FEBO beat absolutely everything hands down...

Sure, it's not 'haute cuisine' or something you would take your girlfriend out for, but it hits the spot better than anything..

Other than that, the Dutch do some great potato stews ("Hutspot" - potato, onion and carrot or "Boerekool met worst" - potato, green cabbage and sausages) as well, great hearty food!

It's not all bad in Holland!

Posted by: jackz on March 21, 2007 5:09 PM

Each of the 50 or so countries I have been to have some tasty dishes...but Cambodian food - tragic. Surprising since it is surrounded by countries with divine cuisine. The best? I could never pick, but for a general cuisine that has it all - Italian.

Posted by: Lesley on March 21, 2007 5:41 PM

As far as the worst food goes, I've never been anywhere that quite rivals Cuba. Menus overflowing with delicious sounding meals, but every time you try to order one of them you're told that "we're all out of that."

11 days of ham and cheese sandwiches or rice and beans was the result.

Posted by: elgarbo on March 21, 2007 6:48 PM

Best: Indonesian. Having spent sometimes in Indonesia, I am still amazed at the variety of food in this archipelago, no wonder the neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore love to claim some of its dishes as their own such as Beef Rendang and Nasi goreng which is quintessentially Indonesian. This especially applies to Rendang which is originally from West Sumatra or but interestingly it is very versatile as you can find this dish in both Malaysian or Singaporean restaurants.

Even in Bali if you stay away from the Australian tourists’ mecca, you find fabulous feed providing you can handle the spice. Point and smile will be the best rule if language is a barrier. Imodium might help as well:).

Another hidden gem is Cambodian, my partner and I were in a market in Phnom Penn when we accidentally found a stall with the best noodle we have ever had. It was sort of similar to Vietnamese Phoa style.

Worse: This place near the central station in Prague where I had a tasteless Goulash as my main dish. But most probably, I was just being unlucky then.

Posted by: Jade on March 21, 2007 6:51 PM

Indonesian food is simply the best. Well, thai is great too. You guys should try 'nasi padang' and the grills. Yummmooo........

Posted by: Song on March 21, 2007 7:09 PM

Someone mentioned Vietnamese in Shoreditch as good? You will be pleasantly surprised if you get a chance to taste vietnamese in Sydney. If anyone knows where the best PHO is in London please tell me!!!

Oh and C&R in Soho for the best Laksa in London i have found so far.

Posted by: lee on March 21, 2007 10:39 PM

What's wrong with mayo on your chips then? Don't knock it till you've tried it!
Many an evening rounded off nicely in Amsterdam!!

Posted by: Breville on March 21, 2007 10:42 PM

Have to agree with Mrs B at March 21, 2007 9:41 AM.

The cheese market just outside Paris is heavenly. A freshly baked baguette, a little freshly churned butter, and a few chunks of smelly vintage cheese is simply divine.

Australia has plenty on offer. I love a good laksa as much as a good steak, though our absolute best meat, seafood, and produce is exported to Japan. You'll never see it on the supermarket shelf.

As for the worst, I'd rather dine out at a servo than eat at Taco Bell.

Posted by: D.Lux on March 21, 2007 11:31 PM

"In Stockholm, I checked out their rulle - a hotdog frankfurt in a pita bread cone, filled with creamy mashed potato. Oh, I'm drooling at the thought of it!"

I'm with you Empress Jo. They were the best. And cheap as chips. Always great for someone on a backpacker's budget!

Posted by: Travelbunny on March 21, 2007 11:41 PM

I am a 'foodie' Sydney-sider living in London and I can tell you that the UK is THE worst place for decent food. The best thing about Oz is the access to fresh produce and the influence of Asian cuisine. Britain does try hard with its faux Indian meals, Turkey Twizlers and ready meal Chinese dishes but the British just don't GET the whole food thing. 70% of the nation lives on ready meals and have never eaten an avocado. No wonder any decent restaurant here is owned by Kiwis or Aussies!!

Posted by: Vanessa on March 22, 2007 12:55 AM

I object to the mention of Afghani food as being the worst (god knows who said it, it just jumped out at me from the overbearing sea of opinion). Naturally enough, in Afghanistan the ingredients would be fairly average, but like many have said about East African cuisine, it does improve when you get them out of the country.

British food...I dont mind it, to be honest. The cheap and nasty stuff is painful, yes (thats what elevates Asian cuisine so highly in my opinion...the cheap and nasty stuff is actually brilliant) but when well done (read: homemade) Brit cooking really can be something special.

Also, after spending a fair while in Germany I can profess a profound love for how they cook meat, and a profound distaste for what they do to cold meat. Add in the culture of beer and wine and you have a great, if button popping, culinary experience.

This all reminds me of a joke though. Have your ever tried Ethiopian food?

Neither have they.

It sort of fails because so many people here actually have tried it. Ah well.

Posted by: Fraz on March 22, 2007 1:15 AM

"The hard part is coming back to Australia, sitting in Sizzle Bento and convincing yourself its not that bad. It is."

Gave yourself away as a Canberran. Sizzle Bento is not Japanese, it is stodge trying to pass off as Japanese, served by work-for-the-dole Korean "cooks".

Besides Canberra as a culinary blackhole (with some exceptions) I'd have to rate Albury and Dubbo as 2 places to definitely take a picnic.

The British are truly amazing for how they can take any international cuisine and turn it into "food" best sent directly to the dumpster, "Do not pass go". I remember salami bought at Harrad's staining my "bread" with the artificial dyes used to meatify the ingredients.

Not all food was good in France, and definitely not the wine, but I wasn't paying top dollar. However eating from the stalls on the Left Bank was just mind blowingly good. I had far better Greek and Morrocan there than in the originating countries.

Just as I had the best Indonesian in Den Hague, and the worst in Indonesia.

Maybe the dislocation of food and food quality could make a thread all of its own.

Posted by: gastroboy on March 22, 2007 1:17 AM

Worst food (ever): Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Like the Danish and Icelandic, they catch their fish, cut it open, and let it hang outside their house all winter long, drying in the salty winter air. Then they eat it in the summer. It tastes like fishy pistachios, with the texture of plexiglass shards.

If that's not bad enough, the local favourite "grind" - pilot whale blubber. They cut it up, put it in a bucket of salt to preserve it, then slice bits off the black rind (the skin) like it's a mango, and put the oily fat in their mouth until it dissolves.

Or there's rhubarb soup: boil some rhubarb with a lot of water, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Strain out the rhubarb chunks, and just add cornflakes. Sure, it's sweet, but it looks like dirty dishwater.

Posted by: Jase on March 22, 2007 2:47 AM

I love to dine at the Y and eat a good hairy burger. Swedish hairless burger is nice (Scandinavia for that matter); Europe in general can be tasty.

Turkey and the mid-east I'd give a miss though, far too greasy!

But it’s always good if you can get a good nibble back home in Australia also, nothing better then some meat flaps.

Gotta love it mate!

Posted by: happyman on March 22, 2007 2:48 AM

Well if we are talking about traditional national food, the Aussies are way down the pecking order, come on...pies and sausages.

I mean this in the best way possible but its the poorer nations who have the best food, they work with produce from their close environment so it tends to be fresher and there is a local way of cooking or preparing it that makes it unique.

Food in Ireland is great espically the organic beef and sausages!!

Posted by: Brian on March 22, 2007 3:06 AM

empanadas in colombia and patacon, plantain with shredded chicken and cheese on top, also pollo a la pechuga, flattened chicken is very nice

Posted by: mathew underwood on March 22, 2007 3:24 AM

Only personal because I haven't eaten everywhere.
Best meat - Valencia Golf Club in Venezuela. I hope this little bit of colonialism survies Hugo.
Seafood - a little place in Penang where after asking for a menu they came back with a piece of paper with "fish" & "clam" written on it. Had both.
Bread - almost anywhere in France.
Beer - even if most of them don't know it but the English have it.
Fish & chips - the soggy bums again, Gt Harwood in the north. Hand cut chips fried in lard, cod (possibly endangered), mushy peas, not much else. Perfect.
Coffee - probably Sydney.
Curry - "Passage through India" in KL. Makes the catering sauce used for the majority of British restaurants a criminal offence.
No real worsts but:
What else can you eat in Argentina if you're tired of meat.
Why has New York got such poor coffee & disappointing Italian food.
Why is most Australian beef so average. (Actually it's probably the Brahmam cattle used for breeding). And the pork. Lamb & seafood great though.
How can the Lyonnais eat sheeps feet?

Posted by: gondwanaman on March 22, 2007 3:24 AM

Dawn Dowd - try to Tuk Tuk on Darling Street Balmain - close enough to Glebe for you and very very good- mind you there are a few more nice Thai places along the darling St too

ok.....

Has any one seen anything new culinarily come out of France in the last 10 years ???

Italy ?????

Everyone loves to claim the old cliches of France and Italy yet continues to over look the spanish who are doing the most wonderful things- is this due largely to peoples fascinations of these 2 countries ??

Another great contender for trying interesting techniques with food are the greeks.....

Does everyone in this blog eat in the average hotels that they stay in ???

Has anyone considered nominating some of the better chefs in NZ ?

Posted by: Joseph on March 22, 2007 8:23 AM

Reader - do you mind if I quote you?

"when your basic language skills is poor "

I assume this is a joke on your behalf!

Posted by: Josh on March 22, 2007 8:46 AM

Sorry you found the food in the United States too be so bad. Incidentally, can you do me a favor? Say hi to Sally Miller for me. She lives in Australia so you'll know her. Thanks. (And, re-read this a couple of times, OK?)

Posted by: James on March 22, 2007 8:57 AM

I have had some of the most memorable food in the north of Spain, Singapore, Thailand and one gypsy goulash in chech republic. Terrible food in Egypt ( got very ill twice ) Eastern Europe and the USA. Does the states serve anything other than Mexican and Pizza?
A lot of my great food memories are associated with some amazing travel experiences. Maybe that has something to do with better tasting food?

Posted by: kylie on March 22, 2007 9:58 AM

The best:
The chats -- bhel puri and pani puri and batata wada (deep fried mashed potato served in a bread bun with tons of chutney!) on the streets of Mumbai. An absolute must try is the 'Indian Chinese' food that the street stalls in Mumbai dish out. You can't have it anywhere else ... certainly not in China! try the manchurian.

In Bhutan these small shacks .. not really restaurants by any standard -- serve up this delicious dish which is mainly just boiled potatoes in a cheesy sauce with some herbs.

Big Improvement -- The USA for vegetarians.I remember not being able to find even a vegetarian burger on my visit 10 years ago. All I ate was fruit and french fries. This time round, I found delicious vegetarian choices even in Alaska:)

Posted by: shivangi on March 22, 2007 10:16 AM

I have to agree....I have just spent the last 9 months living in the USA, and despite their attempts to put on a good feed for you, it never happens.

They certainly love their thick layers of meat and bright orange cheese. (and not afraid to show it on their TV commercials)

Coffee aint great either....way too milky! I don't like strong coffee, but I had to ask for a double shot at starbucks everytime!(sadly its the only place you can get remotely close to a real coffee)

And whats with the bread? Why do they have sweeten everything??

USA is a fabulous country with so many opportunites for people that want to live there, but, sorry guys.....you just can't be the best at everything!

Posted by: Kate on March 22, 2007 10:20 AM

Disagree on Ethiopian and US. Like the other reader, I too have only had Ethipian in Washington (there's a large expat community there) - and while it's heavy as a brick and looks like something out of a sc-fi move, it's actually pretty good. So is the weird honey wine they have. Incidentally, Washington is also good for delicious Salvadoran cuisine - pupusas in particular. The US has the best and the worst of everything, and you just need to know where to look. And I actually like Diner stuff, which is available 24/7 even in small towns and is real value for money. And while I sort of agree on eastern europe - a nice goulasch is great on a cold night. And don't overlook the humble kebab - when cooked over coals, as intended, they are superb.

Posted by: timmo on March 22, 2007 10:23 AM

Sally Miller? Yeah, I know her well.

She's the one who tasted every single dish from every single restaurant in the US & told me all about them.

(seriously, mate...people can only try to generalise from their own anecdotal, empirical experience)

By the way, Turkish food (in Turkey) is right up there.

Posted by: ali on March 22, 2007 10:27 AM

Best : Japan. Amazing variety of dishes, fresh seafood on a daily basis, and superb presentation.

Worst : Surprisingly Filipino food. Overcooked bland meat stews with everything thrown in - offal, gristle, bone, and if your lucky meat as well. They badly need to be introduced to the concept of food spices.

Posted by: Sean on March 22, 2007 11:09 AM

To oisaan and frau, thanks for your great advice!

To Ben, the smh has rss feeds already, your friends in IT should be able to get your blog happening : ) I mean, if Sam and the City can have rss, why can't you?

Right, I'm onto it! Stay tuned...

Posted by: PO'd on March 22, 2007 11:10 AM

A Royale with Cheese in Paris, just cause it's funny!

But seriously if France can make even McDonalds taste good, they're doing something right!

Agree with comments posted that you can pretty much find best/worst in any country. Case in point, Barbados - wherever tourists are gathered, very,very mediocre. A few hidden treasures on the the southwest of the island however, provided some of the most stand out dining experiences of my life.

For sydneysiders, best Indian restuarant is Nilgiris in crows nest - their Dosai is to die for! Miss it now I live in Brisbane....

Posted by: Erin on March 22, 2007 2:02 PM

Best food:

NZ - has the best fast food around - had awesome fish and chips in Christchurch, a divine butter chicken pie at the bakery in Arrowtown, and awesome pies in Rotorua and Auckland. And the coffee is great too!

Australia - thanks to our diverse culture we have some of the best the world has to offer and are very lucky. Can't go past our seafood and our barbeques too!

France - Great for simple food - the best Bread, cheese and pastry for sure.

Italy - I have had the best pizza ever in Rome, the best pasta in Tuscany and a scampi risotto to die for in Rome too. Frutti di Mare in Amalfi. Hmmmm olives with a glass of wine too.

Spain - very awesome paella

German - great warm pretzels that go with that stein of beer - could leave everything else behind though!

Turkey - was pleasantly surprised with the variety

Greece - they do the best calamari ever and meatballs in tomato sauce

London - I lived there for a while and you probably do need to go upmarket to get a great meal but I would have to admit that I still crave this Turkish kebab that I used to get from this Turkish restaurant near West Kensington Tube. Best kebab ever.

Singapore - Excellent market stall food.

Thailand - can't go past a plate of chicken fried rice on a daily basis and the little roti style pancakes for breakfast.

Malaysia - chicken curry to die for and curry puffs that the men bring around wrapped in newspaper on the trains.

Belgium - Mussels, chocolate and beer! Best beer ever.

Worst for me without a doubt was eating in Egypt and I can't think of anything memorable from the USA.
Czech Republic very boring stew.

Cook Islands is also pretty bad if you eat western style resort food. If you stick with coconut fish dishes or barbequed tuna you are much better off!

Posted by: Ally on March 22, 2007 2:16 PM

Thanks for linking us Vince! But we're not from Texas - I (the writer) and Dave (the photographer) both grew up in Michigan. Which brings to mind some of the most uninspired (if not worst) food in the world....

Posted by: Robyn on March 22, 2007 2:21 PM

Singapore is the Asian food capital of the universe. It takes all the different Asian cuisines, distills them and produces cheap, yummy food of infinite variety. From the flat bread roti prati to the satay and been hoon, it's all here and did I mention cheap?

For shear cheapness, you can't beat Laos. Delicious Asian/French fusion food for under $1 for an entire meal.

I also had an amazing time in Greece. Who would have thought deep fried cheese on bread could be so yum. The tzatziki is also divine as is all the lamb!

Speaking of lamb, the people of Iceland know a thing or two about that as well. If you don't fancy seafood of puffin, the lamb is just amazingly tasty.

I would have to diasgree about Indian food. The best Indian food in the world is to be found in London. Not at your corner Indian restaurant full of lager soaked English, but the boutique restaurants full of actual Indians. Food in India seemed to be a choice of differently textured brown muck.

Italian food in Italy is also not to be missed. The mistake most Australians make is that the food they find in Italy is not what they expect. A pizza with 3 toppings is actually much nicer than a Super Supreme with 37 topics. You can actually taste the food! Pasta also causes concern - yes, it's meant to have just a little sauce, not be floating in a sea of ragu. On your mind and your mouth at the same time.

I would also recommend eating absolutely anything in southern Spain - Andalucia. Jamon sliced straight off the bone, put on some bread and drizzled with olive oil us not to be missed.

Another taste sensation is a piping hot waffle in Brussels. Straight off the grill with just a light dusting of icing sugar. Delish! On a similar level is any crepe in Paris. Yum, yum.

Another desert not to miss is the Portugese tart, or nata. Equally delicious in either Portugal or Macau.

As for worst food? That would have to be Scotland or Ireland. Deep fried anything with a side of chips. English food outside of the big cities is also similarly dire.

Tunisia and Morocco probably go in both categories. Delicious food, provided you pick a good place to eat and are lucky enough not to get food poisoning.

Posted by: Dean on March 22, 2007 2:38 PM

I grew up and lived in London for 30 years and can direct any aussie backpacker who has been here for 5 mins to some decent and cheap food. Of course they usually prefer to stick to well trodden paths so its therefore easy and lazy to say that British food is crap.You might as well throw in that we all have bad teeth and wear socks and sandals too!

For the record i defy any one to find food with taste in Taree or Gouldburn where Aussie cuisine is stuck in the 1950's due to its anglo demographics. If you want indian and pakistani in London ( not faux ) food go to Southall where believe it or not indians live. The London locals know where to go to get the best food, the trouble is that these places haven't been sanitised by yuppies and won't appear in your guide books. But the moral of the story is that in countries which don't have the most adventurous cuisine ( and yes this includes Australia - name me an Australian dish apart from Peach Melba! ) rely on immigrants for good interesting food. you just might have to travel to the 'dodgy' areas to get it.

Posted by: jonny on March 22, 2007 3:10 PM

I like to try the local "specials" when visiting foreign countries but the pig snout soup in Mexico was a little much for breakfast.

Posted by: Mary on March 22, 2007 3:14 PM

Portuguese food is by far the best in the world, but don't go there for the chicken. In Portugal, chicken is the poor man's food and lacks in quality. Food in Portugal comes in huge qualtities, is incredibly cheap, is healthy, and tastes amazing.

Posted by: Vanessa on March 22, 2007 3:44 PM

Must agree that most of the food in the US is utter crap and I really don't blame them all for having such an obesity problem, but having said that the Stromboli from Sbarro has stuck in my mind!

Along with breaded + fried agnolotti in Canada.

Both heart attack inducing but certainly yummy no less!

Posted by: Katelyn on March 22, 2007 5:05 PM

to all those who can't seem to find the abundance of good food that England has to offer.
Tip number one - London does not equal England.
Tip number two - whist in London, go to Borough markets.
Tip number three - stop eating fast food, it is shite wherever you go. Why would it be any different in England?
Tip number four - get out to the countryside and go to the pub. NOT a chain pub.

So many aussies go to the UK and spend a year hanging about in the walkabout or elusive camel, perhaps taking a trip to see Stonehenge or a coach up to Edinburgh, and then piss on about how bad it all is in England. It is so embarressing.

Posted by: Sean on March 22, 2007 5:15 PM

CROATIA, CROATIA, CROATIA!!!

If you love seafood, go to the Croatian islands - the fish is prepared with simplicity and it's freshness bursts out. If you can, try the horse mackeral (aka holy mackeral!).

The pizza in Croatia is better than any of those I tried in Italy.

French food is too rich and stodgy,although they do grow awesome tomatoes (the ones on sale in village markets) and British food is generally too fatty for me.

For the best of everything, I honestly don't think you can beat Sydney, you just have to know where to shop.

Posted by: Liz on March 22, 2007 5:38 PM

I agree Ben, many of my travel memories revolve around what I ate where.

I loved Malaysia for the big stacks of roti with left-over curry sauce (roti canai), the men with their woks out on the street cooking great char kwey teow, the tastiness and simplicity of hainan chicken rice, the fantastic array of fresh fruits I'd never seen before (or since), the street vendors selling sweetened bean curd drinks... makes me want to go back there right now!

Posted by: isabelle on March 22, 2007 6:03 PM

as one other person mentioned, balut in the philippines. its a semi formed embryo of a chicken eaten directly from the cracked egg, soft bones, beak and all. ive passed it up a few times, but it will only take a crazy night on san miguel before i crumble....i dread the day.

Posted by: evan ford on March 22, 2007 8:28 PM

I enjoy a juicy German blue vein sausage every now and again and there is nothing like a bit of Danish brown freckle either.

Scandinavian food: I hate the rotten fish and the herrings. But the meatballs, and meal of the day options available are great in sweden! Sure it's not exciting, but it tastes great. Try a kebab pizza at a pizzeria in sweden (they're all run by people from the balkans, so it changes your perception of what 'pizza' is, but it tastes great!)

Czech food was great too. Stews, meats, knödels, goulasch (I know, it's hungarian, but the czech version is just as good!).

Overrated:

Probably not a fair title, because it depends on what you're into but I just can't stand Thai food. As for Chinese food, I like the local takeaway food more than the proper stuff we got in Hong Kong, but again could just depend on WHAT I chose to eat.

French too: I guess you have to be eating the expensive stuff, because what we had wasn't that great. We usually had plats du jour though... they always burnt their creme caramels and the food we had was average...

Italian: I hate italian restaurants, the food's fine (even though I miss butter on bread!), but if you order meat, that's what you'll get... meat. Guess our ignorance is to blame.

hey! Febo croquettes rock, as do the mini pancakes (Poffertjes) in delft. Maybe i was so munchie mad I enjoyed the cuisine :)

as for other good dishes, goulash in hungary, coffee with condensed milk in Laos, maoz felafels in barcelona, anything in Paris.... cheap shnitzel burgers in vienna and gelato in italy..

dishes to aviod.. had bad bacalhau in porto, dodgy fondue in switzerland and yes, thai can go wrong. In london!

Posted by: Bloueyes on March 22, 2007 9:33 PM

What is it with people caning the food in London?

If you scumbags weren't so skint when you arrived perhaps you could afford to eat better.

The food here's great. Alittle pricier than Melb and Syd but hey...

And I'm Australian.

Posted by: w on March 23, 2007 3:40 AM

On a rainy day, Galway Bay oysters and home made brown bread in cosy Morans pub washed down with a pint of the black stuff...

On a beach day,it wld have to be a freshly mixed cockle salad with a cool beer on harbour island ..

or after a night on the town in manhatten...a corner table in arturo's with some soft jazz to help digest that papa of all NY pizzas..

while beneath a thousand african skies...the succulent/cacti eating lamb of the klein karoo,prepared by freda or jacques and enjoyed with a local cab,is a dreamy, kind ,delight... just like the evenings in that place..
'
yum,i'm off for some red snapper 'thai style' on coals..

Posted by: thebigfella on March 23, 2007 9:30 AM

But the moral of the story is that in countries which don't have the most adventurous cuisine ( and yes this includes Australia - name me an Australian dish apart from Peach Melba! ) rely on immigrants for good interesting food. you just might have to travel to the 'dodgy' areas to get it.

Posted by: jonny at March 22, 2007 3:10 PM

Mate, drop by and we'll cook you a fresh seafood barbecue and whip you up a pavlova that *will* make you beg for more!

Sure, Australia has a hugely Anglo heritage, but I disagree that 'typically Aussie' food is necessarily a follow-on from the unimaginative Anglo stuff.

Seafood barbecue, potato salad, fresh green salad and a pavlova...

Actually, that sounds kinda like the way my family does Christmas. Except that my family does it bigger.

Posted by: serryce on March 23, 2007 9:33 AM

Interesting comments,so many re-inforce my perception that Australian food culture is quite the most pretentious in the world,underpinned by a juvenile inferiority complex that demands everything be "the best in the world".
Generally speaking supermarket produce in almost any Sydney supermarket will be far less varied in range & inferior in quality than in almost any large Tesco or Sainsburys in England. Further Australian meat ,which really should be excellent ,most generally is offered for sale bland & unhung.
On the restaurant front,yes there is the odd decent restaurant in Sydney & Melbourne. By contrast where I live in Wimbledon even Pizza Express (a chain restaurant) serves Pizzas far better than I have ever had anywhere in Australia & we have a range of other restaurants & pubs which in this suburban setting are the equal of or superior to almost anything you will find in Australia

fried silkworms and fish heads in china delicious, exotic, adventurous at the time - torturous the next da... did it have to be a 9 hour bus ride!

Posted by: CATHERINE on March 23, 2007 12:17 PM

Tinned tuna and tomatoes are a Tunisian specialty - especaily when laced with harissa accompanied by a couple of olives, Where is a tagine when you need one?
surpassed only by the utter blandess of Libyan food - but of course there is no alcohol there as well so everything else is bland as well.
On a trip across North Africa finally getting to Egypt and eating food with flavour was heaven!

Posted by: CATHERINE on March 23, 2007 12:20 PM

Whilst Chinese food is among the best, it is also among the worst. Recently my missus and I had lunch in a restaruant in Yunnan province, and while on the way to the outhouse, I came across two young German shepard dogs in two mighty small cages. Pointing this out to her she replied "oh, they'll only be in there till dinner". Tasty for some, I decided to turn down this delicacy!

Posted by: phil on March 23, 2007 3:30 PM

Doesn't it pretty much depend on where you eat in a given city? I mean if you go to the place with a placard outside announcing it serves "Authentic Spanish Paella" or whatever the specialty is, you know it will be crap.

The trick is to see where the locals go, I've eaten the most fantastic meals in Rome by biting the bullet and going to a restuarant where there's no menu and only Italian is spoken, and some terrible microwave ravioli I wouldn't have served to my dog in Bologna from a dodgy Sports bar (the only one around this remote hostel!).

Same with everywhere - touristy meals/restaurants will always be sub-standard.

BTW - best meal I can think of at the moment - Pizza and arancini in Sorrento.

Posted by: Anonymous on March 23, 2007 4:18 PM

I'd have to agree with the comments about Filipino food. It would have to be one of the more boring and unappetizing fare in South East Asia. Balut (duck foetus egg), dinuguan (pork bloodstew) and bopis (pork lung & heart stew)are fine examples of dishes to try (or not as the case maybe). Not all that bad though, the leche flan (creme caramel) is quite divine.

Give me Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine any day!

Posted by: Marie on March 23, 2007 4:35 PM

Best - pizza in Florence and a simple beef dish prepared with Balsamic Vinegar and herds lightly cooked and quite rare in Pisa. Different but delicious. And some home cooked meals whilst staying in a villa turned hostel near Cantania in Sicily - pasta with ricotta and fresh tomatoes. A Lasangne with spinach made into a bomb type style. Makes me think I had never tasted real tomatoes or coffee before.

Other bests - Dutch cheddar chesses in Delft, home made Goulash and noodles with family in Budapest, the salads and SNITTZEL in Krakow. Falafel sitting in a outdoor hole in the wall cafe in the old city of jerusalem. And by far the Greek breakfasts of yoghurt, fruit, small good, cheese and crusty bread and biscuits. So good after months in the USA.

Cant go past the Stokehouse in St Kilda for fusion and Malaya in Sydney for the very best Laksa in the city. Bill and Tonys silver dory fish is simple, lovely and cheap

Posted by: Lisa on March 23, 2007 4:49 PM

A lot of people seem to be coming to Britain, eating in Wetherspoon's, and then complaining about British food. Er, hello? If you go to Wetherspoon's, you deserve to eat badly. London has fantastic food - and plenty of fantastic cheap food too, but you do have to make a little effort.

I loved eating in Sydney and Melbourne, but beyond the cities it was grim.

Posted by: Caspar on March 23, 2007 7:53 PM

LAOS. absolutely laos. lao cuisine is not the reason though. it's often just a blander or stodgier version of thai. eating sour fruit with fish paste and spicey salt, washed down with a ice-cold beerlao ain't so bad though.

the backpacker food joints are unfortunately taking over much commercial space, but if you stop and ask a local or expat they will point you in the right direction.

all the articles/guidebooks rave about eating at the riverside bbq joints. it's true that sitting by the mekong with a beerlao (or the even better lao bia) is a great experience, but eating there is asking for dengue fever and/or food poisoning, plus they overcharge.

being such a small country, the business community is dominated by vietnamese, thai, indians and chinese. the french also have had a great influence - best dairy in asia.

there is sensational indian (the taj - behind the national culture hall - has better indian food than india), vietnamese (PVO and so many others), chinese (the dumpling place near the night market, plus the places behind the chinese market - both as good as anywhere in china) and thai food.

the big diplomatic and aid community contributes too: lovely japanese comfort food (yu la la - great food and the young japanese couple that own it are stunningly beautiful), upmarket korean garden restaurants (including one of the world's few north korean joints), great french and fusion bistros (na dao, la silapa), even an aussie cafe!

the bread is sensational too.
vientiane has all the amenities of a french town - a cheese shop with a range as good as djs food hall, great pattisseries, boulangeries, charcuteries etc.

most noteworthy though: the fruit. the most amazing fruit in the world. picking a mango or avocado from your garden whenever you want it is one of the great experiences in the world. or just going to nui's juice stand on samsenthai road and having a big fruit salad with a kafee dam (great lao coffee from the bolaven plateau).

in short: best beer around, value for money wise. best multicultural cuisine around, VFM and number of different ones available wise.

Posted by: lao lover on March 24, 2007 1:30 AM

Ultimate eating experience was on the shores of Lake Bled in Slovenia - on a very cold winters day, after a very cold walk around the lake, we had a pizza with artichokes, salami, mushrooms, anchovies and sooo much garlic ... we still speak about it!

Honorable mentions also to the kebabs in Krakow - all I can remember is that they had french fries on them and hit the spot on a minus 10 degree day!

I also don't think USA deserves such a beating - we just spent 3 weeks in New York, Vegas and Hawaii ... in New York we had the best steak I have ever tasted (it fell off the bone before you could even cut it), cheesecake to die for, amazing deli sandwiches at 3am, along with fast food which in the fast food category (ie. not compared to a gourmet French meal) is of a top standard - pizza, foot long hot dogs with the works, pretzels from the side of the road.

I have to also agree that English food can be amazing - Sunday roast in a small 400 year old pub, by the fire, with a pint of cider ...!

Thanks for a great blog Ben - keep it up!

Posted by: Clare on March 26, 2007 1:43 PM

Best would have to be British where you can get incredible variety due to the mix of nationalities in the country. It is quite refreshing to be able to leave a hotel and not know what sort of cuisine dinner will be. One of the great benefits of multiculturalism.

Posted by: Simon on March 26, 2007 3:38 PM

Kim - stop going to the sandwich shops and try some of the small places around Parnell Square and Moore Street for laksa. Give Ireland a break, they have some of the best produce (meat, dairy, seafood), the problem is that it's so expensive.
South Africa is my favourite for food and wine, but vegetarians probably won't find much to please them! All the game meats are yummy.

Posted by: Katie on March 27, 2007 4:40 AM

I had another thought

The very best Middle Eastern Food I had was at a Bedoin Tent near Mt Masada. Pita cooked over an open fire, fresh houmous made that afternoon. Tomato salad with herbs and wonderful hospitality.

Pho at a hole in the wall Hanoi - in winter. Nothing in English I said Pho and hoped for the best.

Baked Lasagne at an outdoor cafe in Rome in the snow.

And finally French chees and wine with fresh crusty bread - all for under ten euros sitting by the Seine in the dying days of summer nights

Posted by: Lisa on March 27, 2007 10:07 AM

FUnnily enough, the best Chinese I had was in Italy in a restuaraunt just outside one the etruscian gates in Perugia, of all places.

Yummo!!

Posted by: wiffle on March 27, 2007 11:31 AM

best food ever: TURKEY
fresh, flavorsome, and so much more than just kebab! i will never forget the street vendor food in istanbul- deep fried mussels squished in some fresh buns slathered with locally made butter. YUM.

worst: brazil
different variations of pork and beans on every menu. zzzzzz.

Posted by: cecily on March 27, 2007 9:11 PM

Worst - Uighur food (from Western China) Xianian region or something

The potato cake and chutney roll in mumbai is called a Vada Pav

Posted by: Samir on March 27, 2007 10:28 PM

The Worst: Russia

The Best: non-touristy Italy.

The Most Varied: USA. Lots of crap but lots of great stuff from everywhere.

Posted by: Shizzy on March 28, 2007 5:41 AM

Best and worst: England, dont eat in pubs and you can find decent resaurants at decent prices. I once paid for dinner for seven with wine for less than it would have cost in sydney.

Most disappointing: Venice. abysmal food and really bad coffee

Posted by: Jon on March 28, 2007 8:40 AM

Currently living and working in China I have had the opportunity to eat just about everything, including a banquet where nothing was over 9 days olds, including the pig, served splayed on a dish and the pidgeon (soft bones apparantly - a delicacy).

However, Sichuan Hot Pot in Chengdu for a memorable experience.

Take one bowl of Chillie oil, add copius quantities of sichuan pepper corns and more chillies because it was obviously not hot enough, and heat.

The in order -

pig stomach - to be dipped in the oil for no more than a count of 7

the inside of the gooses neck to be dipped in the oil for no more than a count of 15

live prawns - but nor for long !

Fish head

Assorted fungus.

interesting but very hot !!!!!!!!1

Posted by: John on March 28, 2007 9:24 AM

All this talk off food from far off shore and not one mention of good home grown Aussie tucker.
How many have feasted on flame grilled snake, crocodile, Kangaroo, Emu, Quondongs, Bush Plums, Bush Tomatoes, Widgidy grubs.
Our back yard is a parade of cullinary delights, which you bust your guts OS to try their dishes of th poor, but you'd never have the intestinal fortitude to try your own lands dishes.
Must be hard going OS and finding they will dish up anything they can find to cook serve it to anyone who'll eat it then come home to a good cooked meal of European dishes.

Get out and experience your own country first then go tell the rest of the world of Australia's delights, the biggest and best experience you could ever have is discovering your own back yard.

Posted by: Ray on March 28, 2007 9:34 AM

Lee: the chilli jam, there are variations. The only ones that do come to mind are: Jao Sorm, Jao Bong, Jao Muk-Len and I'm sure the list continues..

Posted by: Leah on March 28, 2007 9:48 AM

I'm not prone to emesis - it's always been alcohol or food-related.
The last time it happened was in Pokhara, Nepal. It's a glorious place, with a stunning view of the Annapurna range seemingly hovering in the sky.
I ate something called 'Tibetan Shepherd's Pie'. I knew immediately that this was a serious lapse of judgment, and a short while later it came back up.

Posted by: steve from newtown on March 28, 2007 10:14 AM

Seafood in Sabah ... to die for and soooo cheap.
Have not been to the Philipines, but one of my good friends was born there. His mum's food is divine.

Posted by: violet on March 28, 2007 11:40 AM

Penang Island in Malaysia. Fantastic street stall food and little restaurants tucked away everywhere. Do NOT just eat at hotels, locals don't except if they're celebrating someone's birthday and they want atmosphere. The food in the filthiest looking places is often the best (strong stomachs needed, but after the first bout of tummy upset you're usually fine). Malaysian Indian is a must - there's places where they make 50 different types of bread and 50 types of curry, and you can just pick. A most memorable dish - 'tissue bread', like the longest, thinnest crepe you've ever seen, cooked crispy and glazed with sugar, served as a cone as long as the span of your arms. Dramatic and tasty.

Southern Thailand - home of all things good! Best meal ever was in a little town called Yala, in a park where the local kids play soccer. We sat on little stone stools along a long table in the park and were served fantastic dishes which were, admittedly, hot enough to make you cry. But which were so good you cried for more!

Posted by: Plum on March 28, 2007 12:52 PM

Give me fresh Dutch brown bread, butter and cheese any day over French baguette and cheeses.

And is Australian food really that great? For sure in Sydney, but don't expect anything tasty, fresh or not deep fried in the country.

Posted by: Ellen on March 28, 2007 1:00 PM

Great experiences - eating a a dirt floor cafe in Guatemala with the locals - as long as you asked for fried chicken you were right.

Worst - other than the US which is boring... New Caledonia. The food was ghastly and overpriced.

My vegan friend had some interesting stories from Iceland that could lead to sleepless nights.

Posted by: V on March 28, 2007 1:54 PM

Korean must be one of the most underrated national cuisines, I've eaten out at least twice a day for the last 7 years and I'm still hungry.
Though I have yet to try 새끼회 (raw mashed pig foetus).
That'll fill me up

Posted by: james on March 28, 2007 2:15 PM

burmese Pork Curry in Northern Thailand-will drag me back time and agin

Posted by: Peterf on March 28, 2007 3:21 PM

Mate,

Can talk about Ethiopia, Tanzania or Uganda. But, c'mon you base your comments on Ugali???(Which by the way needs to be eaten with a stew and it tastes great)

Did you sample the local Nyama Choma (Do you even know what that means?) How about the exotic delicacies at the coast.

You obviously get paid way tooo much.

ta,
Kenyan MAN!

Posted by: Sal on March 28, 2007 4:07 PM

Mate,

Can't talk about Ethiopia, Tanzania or Uganda. But, c'mon you base your comments on Ugali???(Which by the way needs to be eaten with a stew and it tastes great)

Did you sample the local Nyama Choma (Do you even know what that means?) How about the exotic delicacies at the coast.

You obviously get paid way tooo much.

ta,
Kenyan MAN!

Posted by: Sal on March 28, 2007 4:07 PM

a parrillada in Santiago or Buenos Aires is the best food one can eat.

The bratwurst in Germany, Adobo in The Phillippines and the fresh produce in Australia are all great

Posted by: Mark on March 28, 2007 4:13 PM

I totally agree with you Ben!

The amazing fresh food markets in France & Italy are not to be rivaled! Makes me happy just thinking about it! Oh, and the coffee..... Mmmm

I currently live in Scotland and they wouldn't know what fresh crusty bread was if it hit them over the head! Tesco's seems to have taken over the Scottish world. I definately won't remember the UK for it's culinary delights.

I haven't had a cafe made coffee for about 5 months in this country & we "had" to have our expresso machine shipped over here for us! That's how bad it is :) 9We were desperate)!!

Posted by: Alison on March 28, 2007 4:48 PM

I can't agree with you more on the french bread bit. That's pretty much all I ate and pretty much all my wallet could handle during my 3-week stay in Paris. Even their supermarket bread is beautiful.

Posted by: Karina on March 28, 2007 5:32 PM

Go to Greece

Posted by: bettina on March 28, 2007 5:49 PM

YOU ARE WRONG ; some of the best steaks I've ever eaten were incredibly gamy breakfasts in Nairobi, & the best rijstaffel of my life was in Amsterdam [ the heavy germanic dutch palate combined with the food from their colonies : Goa & Indonesia, mean that modern nederlandische food is palatable, & better than in indon [ I've never been to Goa, so no comment] . Just a thought : ever heard of dutch curry & rice soup, available in Continental packets ?

Posted by: theodore on March 28, 2007 5:58 PM

french cheese... combined with a visit out to Epernay to taste the champagne. Brilliant!

Posted by: Caz at March 21, 2007 1:05 PM

....
Tastes are different, I agree - but come on. Cheese and Champagne - you cannot be serious?!

Posted by: Mat on March 28, 2007 8:54 PM

In Amsertdam the food was ok...we didn't each much 'local' food (only those small pancake thingos) but found a great Italian place in the red light district. Spend most of the time eating junk food as 90% of the visit was spent in coffee shops.
The tradiotnal food in Ireland was the best I've eaten. nothing beats shovelling down a beef and guiness pie with garlic marsh after wondering around in the rain all day....kicking back with a pint of kilkenny listening to the band.... I want to go back!!!

Posted by: Becca on March 28, 2007 11:24 PM

I left Sydney to live in the United States five years ago. Someone once said to me, "If you go to America, bring your on food." I should have listened. Food here is total 'crap'. I've been fortunate or unfortunate enough to dine in some of the country's supposedly top retaurants as well as many a private dinner party by a supposedly good cook and feel that I can say without any bias that the food lacks both consideration for it's ingrediants and it's taste. But try telling that to my American friends. Mostly, they wouldn't have a clue. On a positive note I've learnt to cook (more out of necessity than desire)- 'Bill's Sydney Food', Neil Perry's 'Easy Asian', David Thompson's 'Thai Food'..... granted, getting the ingrediants can be hard at best but when faced with another serve of over seasoned, over cooked what ever the hell that is, then I am more than happy to rattle those pans.

Posted by: Zanni on March 29, 2007 5:43 AM

A full english breakfast kills it hands down, its great!

Posted by: Thursty on March 29, 2007 9:53 AM

Hawaii is great for seafood and fresh fruit...provided you avoid chain places. Had a fantastic platter of garlic shrimp (prawns to us) at a beachside cafe in Waikiki, and bought fresh pineapple direct from the plantation at a market. Hawaiian pineapple is so sweet and succulent you won't be able to eat it back here afterwards.

As for North America? The rule of thumb is that the more you pay the better the food gets. Obviously if you eat at a moderate to upscale eatery you'll get better quality than the ubiquitous Denny's restaurants. Canada is better than the US, especially for steak (trust me, Alberta steak is heaven) and also for salmon (a must in Vancouver). The one thing the Yanks got right is pancakes. A short stack with whipped butter and syrup in the morning is the best brekkie anywhere in the world!

Posted by: Earth Citizen on March 29, 2007 10:09 AM

For me Indian, Thai and Italian.

Indian food is not just north indian and south indian. There are 28 states in India and each state has its own unique style of cooking, different ingredients, different methods, different spices and even the way food is eaten is completely different.

All the so called indian restaurants here in australia all take food from a small region in far north India called Punjab. This is where the main meat influenced dishes are . States like Gujarat and other states in the south are predominately veg. Food from punjab was greatly influenced by the moghuls that came to India and then the british - Hence the use of cream etc

Thai food is brilliant - Fresh and so healthy!

In my travels around Europe, i had some awesome chinese in Nice, and great Indian in Amsterdam and the desserts in Italy..mmmmm yumm!

Posted by: sugar on March 29, 2007 11:14 AM

Re: FEBO.

Don't you be dissing "Food from the wall".

I would kill for a Kalvsflees Kroket right now.

Posted by: malcolm on March 29, 2007 12:11 PM

CUBA! For the funniest worst food of my life...

I really had no idea it could be that bad - I think I had naive visions of washing down fresh spicy food with Mojitos... after 2 weeks of trying everything in the state run restaurants (dodgy), street stands and the family run B&B's too, i went on strike for 2 days and subsisted on rum and pringles. I couldn't take it anymore.

1. Spaghetti Napoletana is reincarnated as wet gluey string with tepid tinned tomato soup pooling on the top.
2. A hotel breakfast buffet that recycled the previous dinner buffet's leftovers including a suspiciously smelling mackerel sort of salad thing.
3. Pork chops with cucumber and processed cheese slices melted on top - served with banana chips (always the banana chips) or maybe its plantain?
4. A Hamburger that was literally a SPAMburger - big chunk of it hacked off and fried and placed in the sandwich.

I say: CC Hate to say but you are WAY off the mark on this one. Jelabies, burfi, bhujias, samosas, curry puffs, and parathas are all INDIAN not Pakistani!!!!! Please check your facts (and where you get them from) next time!

Posted by: bn on March 29, 2007 1:32 PM

I can't tell which food is the best but I think that the food in England(at Restaurants anyway) is awful. We have been to England frequently over the last 10 years and I am still waiting for improvement. The only thing they seem do well is Indian. Having always stayed with family I have tasted great produce but once they turn it into a meal in a restaurant it is crap. Even my English husband agrees. That is not even mentioning how expensive it is!

Posted by: Melissa on March 29, 2007 1:38 PM

George I have to agree with you there. Most local food is a caricature of the real thing!! The food we get in Sydney is definitely not the real deal.

And nav when you say: "It is hard to beat Sydney for variety, quality and price" I can only agree with you on variety. Sydney has the variety no doubt but the quality is usually pretty average and the price is usually pretty high!

Posted by: bn on March 29, 2007 1:41 PM

mate...talk about bad food in europe aye?

After two weeks of bad food in amsterdam(besides the coffee shops), paris and madrid we finally made our way to Barcelona and there down in the hip quarters of la rambla there is a resturant called La Fonda...now pronounce it with me...LA...Fonda...it has the best Lamb Shanks in the World!
Address: Carrer dels Escudellers, 10

After La Fonda the food just went down from there again

Remember La Fonda Barcelona!

Posted by: bonkerz on March 29, 2007 4:30 PM

I found the fresh local produce in NZ mouthwatering. Fresh lamb, beef, mmmmm. And food preference is utterly subjective. You like France, I prefer Fresh scallops and beef steak in New Orleans-US.

Posted by: Roz on March 30, 2007 12:43 AM

Not far from France are two countries where you can experience some of the best foods on the planet. Switzerland has much to offer, but my favourite is Büntnerfleisch (a thinly sliced smoked meat), served with a cheese platter, and a Kafi Schnapps (Black Coffee with Schnapps, preferably a good kirsch or Plum).

The ultimate fast food on the planet isn't a burger or fish & chips once you've tasted a Landjäger, which is kind of a smoked sausage resembling a thin salami, only much more tastier, together with a fresh crusty bread roll, washed down with a good hearty German Beer.

Ahh... Britain, Britain, Britain. I am guessing from the comment of "It's nowt but Wetherspoon's for us" that our dear reporter has not ventured much further than said nations capital, somewhere that is certainly over priced I'll grant you!

The stalwart of British cusine lies in the country restaurants and pubs, who prepare fantastic wholesome cooking, sell beer that actually has flavour to it, and use local and usually very fresh produce.

If you go, avoid the "chain pubs" like the plague, and find an old smokey bolt hole in the country somewhere, with sticky floors and a mad farmer at the bar, and usually the food will be pretty good!

Posted by: Greg on March 30, 2007 1:25 PM

What about Belgium: Chocolates & Beers were absolutely divine but also the main meals! I could eat a good pot of mussels & chips any day! The Belgian waffels are divine as well

Posted by: Anonymous on March 30, 2007 1:36 PM

The two worst for me are the US and the UK. I can't believe the Americans praise the Italian food on the East Coast over there! Unless you stick to Indian only or pay through the nose in the UK, you will eat garbage.
I used to think Australia had good food. Now I realise that, whilst we have the best food in the English speaking world, we are still a looooong way down the global ladder.
I am living in central Tokyo at the moment and I put on 6kgs in the first three months. If I don't get back to Australia, where saying "NO" to food is a possibility, then I am going to pop!
Here is a secret for you - most Japanese people will not tell you but their biggest complaint about travelling in Australia is the food. They absolutley hate it. That is a fact.

Posted by: gav on March 30, 2007 1:51 PM

tricoteuse

You are so, so right about Japanese food. I honestly believe that there is no cuisine with a bigger quality gap between the original and what you get in foreign countries. Even if you go to a bad Italian / Chinese / French restaurant you at least get an idea of what it is all about.

By going to Japanese restaurants outside Japan you will not get an understanding of the Japanese dining experience, the main typical dishes or their intended flavour and texture.

Posted by: gav on March 30, 2007 1:59 PM

I spent three years in The Philippines and hardly ever ate their food. We always went to restaurants in 5 star hotels or other nationalities. I guess the only dish I liked was Pancit, which is meat, vegetables and noodles, you can't go wrong with that. But I usually made it at home, never had it when I went out. There were two English style pubs in Manila and we mainly went there.

Posted by: meg on March 30, 2007 2:45 PM

Best:
Bali - Forget Bali beli (I don't seem to suffer from it anymore, which is a real shame because it does wonders for my figure), eat at the kaki lima (the food carts). My favourite meal was goat satay (satay kambing)on the side of the road near Lovina. The sauce amazing with big chunks of eschallot. Wasn't so keen on the soup which contained all the gizzards... Nasi Goreng for Rp.5000 always goes down well.

Singapore - so much variety at the right price, chicken rice is such a good meal at any time of day, I love the delicate flavours and it just feels so healthy (even if the rice is cooked in chicken fat). Char Kway Teo was a bit scary though - I love it in Oz but over there it was full of strongly flavoured clams (yuk!) which I had to pick out. Can't say I like the shark fin soup either but I'm not a big fan of strong seafood flavours.

Italy - food was brilliant pretty much everywhere except for Positano (always a problem in tourist areas I guess). I missed Asian food a lot - we ate at one Chinese restaurant in Rome where the lemon chicken should just have been called pollo limone (I know, lemon chicken is boring but it wasn't exactly an extensive menu)

US - I can't agree with you on that one. I've had some brilliant food in the US, even in chains. I love the burgers and chili at Wendy's, the chicken salad at The Cheesecake Factory (I think it was South-West style), hot dogs and sandwiches in New York and the burritos and tacos at Chipotle. Sure, there were some pretty bad meals also (served with flavourless iced tea) but I wouldn't put it on my "worst" list

I can't think of a "worst" country but if an overseas visitor came to Australia and only went to QLD they'd likely put Australia on their "worst" list - so hard to find a decent restaurant there

Posted by: Mels on March 30, 2007 5:13 PM

I disagree that Swiss food is bad. I'd say it's much better than Australian food. There may not be as wide a variety in ingredients but the quality is good. Meats in rich sauces with wine, scalloped potatoes, sauteed vegetables, yummy salad dressings that don't have cheese, cream or sugar in them. Not to mention the chocolate. You won't want Cadbury after tasting their's. No artificial sweet lemony sauces in savoury dishes like you find here. I actually preferred the Thai food I've had there. You can tell it hasn't all been fried in the same unwashed pan. You have to pay for good Swiss food, the takeaways are crap. Over here even the food you pay for often tastes cheap eg. Sheraton.

It's a little hypocritical when Aussies talk about how fatty US food and people are. You're nearly as fat as they are.

Posted by: Heidi on March 30, 2007 10:03 PM

Best food is in Sydney ChinaTown, Love every bit of it, Steamed Fresh Scallop garnished with fresh ginger and spring onions and soy sauce, love the deep fried seafoods on the rotating sydney tower restaurant....Bangkok on Sukhumvit Rd soi 15 has a great Thai Chinese Restaurant "Yong Lee" I believe the name of this great establishment and also rotating Thai Sushi Restaurant at patpong market in BKK is a great treat,LOVE THEM ALL

Posted by: Ryan Lee on March 30, 2007 10:14 PM

People should not forget to try Iranian food (Persian). In my humble opinion they make some truly great food. They use lots of herbs (and a little spice) together with the freshest range of vegetables, poultry and meat. They employ clever techniques to create wonderful flavours, textures and aromas.

For example please make an effort to eat Chelow (variously spelt) at least once before you die. In my estimation, it is one of the world’s best rice dishes. The yardstick of the Iranian cook’s abilities is measured by the quality of their Tah-dig (the crusty base of the baked Chelow. Look out for it!

Koresh (no, not David from Waco) is a vegetable and/ or meat casserole, which is also really nice. Or again, the classic Tehranian sirloin beef kebab garnished with a little sumac (dried berries with a tart flavour) is unforgettably good.

PS. I know Iran is a bit off the beaten tourist track (for various reasons). However the food, culture, history, geography and the people make this place worth visiting.

I say: CC Hate to say but you are WAY off the mark on this one. Jelabies, burfi, bhujias, samosas, curry puffs, and parathas are all INDIAN not Pakistani!!!!! Please check your facts (and where you get them from) next time!

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hmm.... hate to say this as well buddy... but all the foods mentioned by CC are Pakistani. Where have you been? Yes, they are also found in India due to similarity in cultures... but it doesnt mean they're Indian! Its such a minor issue - cant believe you tried to cause a drift. Please be rational next time! Afterall, India & Pakistan were ONE once.

Posted by: MA on March 31, 2007 7:48 PM

Cambodian (kmer - sp?) food is some of the best food I've ever eaten.
a mixture of thai and indian with a little flavour all of its own

Posted by: Alison on March 31, 2007 8:19 PM

I feel the need to defend the Dutch cuisine! Croquettes are much better than a meatpie, probably because you eat them at the "Febo" (= Dutch fastfood chain) you didn't give them enough credit! And what do you think about "boerenkool stampot" with a sausage from the Hema, "hutspot", "speculaasjes", etc. etc.
You have to come back to try al those things!

Posted by: Inge on April 1, 2007 3:58 AM

I think Lebanon had great food, a nice mix of french and arabic cuisine and for a local counterpart try LaRoche in Lakemba, equally as good. Vietnam had great food but stick to what you know (Try Anh in Bankstown for the best local I could find) and I have to say I was really impressed by the food in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany. Hearty, honest food cooked well.

The worst food I have had was in France. Anything half decent you have to pay through the nose for and even then it is surprisingly average. I do agree that their fresh produce is the best in the country so my tip is to go to a market and have a continental ploughman's.

Posted by: James on April 1, 2007 10:52 AM

Jamaica:
*Jerk Chicken
*Escovitched Fish
'nuff said

Posted by: Ann on April 1, 2007 12:22 PM

Try to sprawl the street of Jakarta. The freshness of Sundanesse food (Karedok, steam carp and steamingly hot boiled rice), the sweetness of Javanesse cooking, and the spices of Sulawesi cooking.

All those advocating Australian food - it's a bit irrelevant when we're looking at travelling food expeiences, but even if it wasn't, the best "Australian" food is either taken on adapted from the Greek, Italian, Korean, Chinese, etc. communities here. EVEN the Aussie meat pie is adapted from the Brits.

Same goes for those defending British food - the good stuff in the UK is not "British", with the notable exception of the classic English breakfast, and maybe, a great roast beef and Yorkshire pud...

I would agree with whoever defended the "authentic" American food, vs chain restaurant crap. The marinated and slow-roasted for 12+ hours meats you get from a good Texas barbecue shack is a bit different to what you get at Hoolihans, for example... Most American's love their chain restaurants though, so I can see where the bad average comes from.

"Reader" - a good name for you since apparently you can actually do that, and even comprehend the intended meaning when people make typos and grammatical errors; isn't the human brain a wonderful thing? I might have to object if you chose "Writer" as your alias.

Posted by: ElleBeeTx on April 2, 2007 12:39 PM

What about the yummy street food in Cambodia? They make the best french style bread and severed with the roast best pork, pate, cream cheese, green onion, corriander and chilli with fish sauce...Oh how I miss it...

They also have very good street curries. Not as spicey as Thai but just as yummy with great ingredients. They also have all sorts of room temp rice noodles serverd with a vararity of curries that rage from sweetish to spicey and all these are very cheap.

Also great selection of fresh fruits....Mmmmmm drooling.

Posted by: Jerry on April 2, 2007 3:46 PM

THE COFFEE IN NAPLES! UN BELIEVABLE!

Posted by: MARIANNA on April 2, 2007 6:18 PM

TWO THINGS:

New York City pizza (preferably from Brooklyn).

Bosnian Chivapi in Sarejevo.

Posted by: missagent76 on April 2, 2007 6:58 PM

As an aussie currently living in amsterdam, i can say that I do miss the fresh quality food back home. I think Melbourne and Syd have pretty darn good food, but my heart lies with KOREAN. gimme a kimchi hot pot anyday!!

What I do enjoy though in Holland is the cheese.... seriously delicious, esp Old Amsterdam.. lekker!!
and ofcourse the fries with mayo. I think the Dutch really know what to do with their potatoes!

Posted by: kittycat on April 2, 2007 9:53 PM

forgot to mention that we had the BEST lamb chops ever, in Wales.

Posted by: kittycat on April 2, 2007 10:28 PM

Eastern Europe comments are a bit crappy. I live in Prague and I think the foods fantastic. Don't got and eat a "Traditional" dish because they are just massive lumps of food people eat at celebrations. Order something else and you'll be suprised.

Posted by: Greg on April 2, 2007 10:56 PM

"Same goes for those defending British food - the good stuff in the UK is not "British", with the notable exception of the classic English breakfast, and maybe, a great roast beef and Yorkshire pud..."

Of course the best stuff in the UK is British. Most of the Indian restaurants have been owned for generations and lots their dishes have evolved over the years.

Unless you are saying that people with Asian ancestors are not actually British?

Posted by: stirling on April 3, 2007 2:55 AM

Worst food experiences:

JORDAN - Oh dear - I starved here... Everything was pickled, the bread was sweet and almost everything had E-coli in it.. ewww

Good/Bad:

Cyprus - This beautiful greek Island would have been a lot better off sticking to Traditional Greek Food... Instead they choose to appeal to the English Geezer bastards who frequent the place as a summer destination... EWWW Bacon asnd eggs were the only thing you can get...

ALTHOUGH - after hunting for days we did find traditional Greek food at one of the few remaining tavernas. The FIsh Mezze was the best followed closely b y the meat (I dont eat red meat, so the boys enjoyed it alot more...)

NORTHERN CYRPUS - which is occupied by Turkey - is beautiful for food... They have a HUGE selection of food at meal times, and I still remember the vibrant colours of the many dips and breads they offered at meal times.. GORGEOUS.

ASIA - Is genuinely the BEST for food though...

I am off to NYC and LA in a couple of months... I am scared of how big I am going to come back after reading some of the above comments however! My girlfriend in NYC will have to show me where all the organic food is for sure... AND SUSHI

Posted by: Kinkynun on April 3, 2007 9:54 AM

Good food-- cooked by someone who loves their food and cares about theircustomerss. available all over the world
Bad food is cooked by someone who couldn't give a ###
Someone who is desperately hungry, wet and cold any food tastes great. I am wondering is "Reader" desperately hungry, cold and wet. I do not knowbut he does sound quite wet.

Posted by: Terry on April 3, 2007 11:03 AM

I know it doesn't really count as 'Dutch cuisine', but I had the best BLT ever at '11' in Amsterdam. Can't beat those Bitterballen things either.

Posted by: sb on April 3, 2007 1:33 PM

Personally, I think bland food = the worst.
Bearing that in mind, I'd have to say Lichtenstein has the worst. Think processed food lovingly prepared by accountants and you're on the right track.
The best? I'm a big fan of fresh seafood, so a large BBQ'd fillet (I can't remember what, I'm tempted to say snapper)after an epic day at Salsa Brava in Costa Rica :)
Can't go past a schnitzel at a certain North Melb gastro pub though!

Posted by: Phil on April 3, 2007 2:00 PM

Reading this - the comments say more about the poster then the food. As far as the poster not being able to find anything other then Cantonese in Sydney (which has been changed for Western tastes) - that person hasn't been out in Sydney much. In Ashfield there's loads of Shanghainese restaurants with lots of northern specialties (mmm dumplings) and the menus etc are all written in chinese for a chinese clientï¿½le. Which posits the question - as people living in their own country often don't know what's available as they're not part of that community, how much are they missing in other countries due to linguistic, financial or dietary (vegetarianism, halal, etc)barriers. Maybe it might be better to restrict it to places that have great cheap street food as that seems to be the common factor in most of the rave reviews.

On another note - the fast food debate. For various reasons I've had fast food around the world and believe me there are a huge number of chains that make McDonald's seem an epicurean paradise. However as McDonalds can be found around the world - there some interesting statistics for penetration per capita. The top 4 countries for number of Macca's per head are 1) US, 2) New Zealand, 3) Canada, 4) Australia. The US and Canada are easy to understand why the high numbers - but why so high here? Also - in the top 10 in number of Maccas per capita are Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan all places that got raves for food - and the UK (which made a few of the worst lists) doesn't make the top 10. So having a Macca's doesn't mean the country is necessarily a bad place for food. Stats from:

Malaysian food is the best for variety, flavour, colour, scent and taste -should I go on.

roti Chanai with curry sauce for breakfast, or beef noodles. Hawker stalls are always the way to go.

the coffee is not too bad either - if you go to an old coffee shop. The coffee is filtered through what looks like a large sock. In Macau they brew the coffee at your table with part of a school science lab kit.

I say: CC Hate to say but you are WAY off the mark on this one. Jelabies, burfi, bhujias, samosas, curry puffs, and parathas are all INDIAN not Pakistani!!!!! Please check your facts (and where you get them from) next time!

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hmm.... hate to say this as well buddy... but all the foods mentioned by CC are Pakistani. Where have you been? Yes, they are also found in India due to similarity in cultures... but it doesnt mean they're Indian! Its such a minor issue - cant believe you tried to cause a drift. Please be rational next time! Afterall, India & Pakistan were ONE once.

MA
All the food mentioned by CC are Indian and not Paki. Thats coz most pakistani cusine unless developed after 1947 is Indian

Posted by: Sam on April 3, 2007 9:44 PM

Moroccan! This is another food centric culture. Just wander through the sook and take in the spices. They are as clever in manipulating spices as are the Indians.

Posted by: Audrey on April 3, 2007 10:39 PM

Best food: I'll go for Cambodian or Khmer, bit of a mix between Thai and Vietnamese with the best restaurant in Siem Reap, Khmer Kitchen. Although the coolest meal I've ever had was at a sushi place in the bowels of the Tokyo Fish Market, some extremely bizarre looking stuff but equally delicious.

Worst Food: Cuban (in Cuba) basically due to horrible quality of the ingredients. So So Bland. What I would of done for a chilli or bottle of tabasco. However, Cuban food outside Cuba is delicious, figure it out.

Posted by: Ben on April 4, 2007 6:59 PM

American and British food is unfairly criticised all the time by people unwilling to venture past the tourist areas.

London is currently viewed as the food capital of Europe, especially since the downward slide of Paris restaurants of late (mostly due to the gradual death of the long lunch in french society).

Rome, on the other hand, always gets fantastic reviews from Australians who go to a restaurant outside the Pantheon and order a pizza and often quite ordinary pasta. They are simply taken in by the atmosphere of the tourist trap, and the food is generally every bit as inedible as a meal in Los Angeles.

If we all hate American food so much, then why is there a fast food chain every 50 metres in Australia? I suggest it is more about overexposure and a current anti-american sentiment that is creaping into society.

Sure, we all think of greasy american fried food and soggy english peas, but if anyone has actually eaten in London or LA these days, they will understand that the quality is the same as Rome or Paris.

Sure, a 3 michelin star restaurant in Paris will be better than Sloppy Joes Diner in LA, but what normal people can afford to spend 150 euros on a meal each night?

That said, I do agree with others that Asia offers fantastic food choices from street vendors to restaurants, and in my opinion it is the best cuisine in the world in terms of flavour, value and variety.

Posted by: Walshy on April 10, 2007 10:01 PM

Best thing ever: Chunk of dazzling white fetta cheese, fat black olives, tomatoes and warm, fresh-baked bread offered to me and my two girls in a restaurant's kitchen on a Greek island when we arrived too early for lunch. I will never forget it.

Worst food ever: An Italian restaurant in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (near Kingsford) which served iceberg lettuce and days old chopped onions in the salads, and greasy pasta, and the carpet was so filthy it stank. And as for countries, the United States wins hands down for the worst food, except for New York, which is about as European in its gastronomy as you can find, outside Europe. NYC rocks!

Posted by: kelly v on April 13, 2007 2:14 PM

Best: Turkey, Morocco & China.

Worst: Mongolia - Limited salad/vege's & almost every meal we were provided contained mutton... fried mutton dumplings, steamed mutton dumplings, boiled mutton dumplings.... Very lovely people but they have very limited resources when it comes to food.

Posted by: FP on April 19, 2007 1:14 PM

Philippines --balut, isaw, sisig

I couldn't stand Indian food. Even the smell makes me puke.

Posted by: Anonymous on April 20, 2007 1:36 PM

Another vote for Malaysia here.

Also remember really enjoying the food in Turkey although it is a very long time since I was there.

A bit OT but it seems relevant to recommend a fantastic Turkish restaurant/takeaway joint called Tulipia that has recently opened in Park St, Sydney. The owners very nice and generous and they have a fantastic variety of hearty stews and interesting things there - all very reasonably priced. It really took me back to my time in Turkey many years ago.

Also leads me to say that Melbourne and Sydney also great places to eat - as you can get great food from all over the world and just pretend you are travelling!

the chips in holland are good! and i've had some great cakes/tarts in the cake shops in amsterdam.

i've had great good in vietnam (haven't had any good viet food at home since), united arab emirates, india, tahiti and NZ.

Posted by: d on April 24, 2007 12:33 PM

And to eat those scrambled eggs in the hotel breakfast restaurant while your table neighbor gargle up that green slimy stuff from deep inside his ventilation system generated after years of smoking Chinese "healthy" cigarettes and delicately land the vibrating sputum on the full covering carpet between your tables show that your will power is stronger than your reflexes :-)

Posted by: Mike Averdal on April 25, 2007 7:38 AM

Best meal I have ever had was in a Chinese restaurant in Japan. Best value was in Thailand. If you love fresh fruit and vegetables then off to Hong Kong you should go. Everything is imported and so it's export quality i.e. the best. My absolute favourite is Thai - but I am allergic to coconut milk (sigh..) Australia is blessed to have so many Asian people and they set up great restaurants!!! UK fruit and vegetables at Tesco are pathetic.

Posted by: Kay on April 29, 2007 8:22 PM

Malaysian food is better in California than in Malaysia, lol. And the restaurants are clean. =P

Posted by: Jason on May 8, 2007 1:10 AM

Top eat - Thai, Indian and Mexican.

Worst - British and most of the states

I enjoyed Brasil just need to know what to order. I still love Feijoada and replicate every now and then.

Posted by: John O on May 16, 2007 1:13 PM

Try some peruvian food, great variety and really, really yummy. The bad news is that you have to be in Peru.
If anyone knows a place in Sydney or a peruvian, please let me know.

Posted by: Gaby on June 6, 2007 10:41 AM

Hey!!! Lay off East European food! There is great stuff here, you just need some assistance in knowing where to look. In my city of Budapest, there's NOTHING like a nice dinner out at Nancsi Neni Vendegloje (Auntie Nancsi's Restaurant). Fabulous tastes and there's nothing of the stodgy variety.

Posted by: Peter Scott on June 21, 2007 8:27 AM

How you can write that Eastern european food is just stodgy???...hello!? have you ever been somewhere out there ? and why you publish that at the SMH, the most opinion-forming newspaper in Sydney??? ;) I am Polish and what I would like to say that our STODGY!!! food is one of the best in the world. So guys dont listen to someonelse's opinion just check it by yourself... I do agree that Thai food is fantantic!!! and I do love and miss ozzie chickenburgens from Bondi Junction...

Posted by: Marta on June 28, 2007 1:12 AM

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,
I just love to put my 2 cents into a room of people who love food etc, food equates to life, as sex and good music,intelligent conversation is the meaning of life. So I will contribute this segment: in South America, Caribbean, the best quality of food to be had is in Cuba!! Why because all Cuban food is organic, due to the blockade the American imposed since 1959. Now the downside you need to cook yourself or its all down the drain, Cuba the paradise that it is for lovely women , music and beaches has a reputation for the worst food in South America,Caribe and its well founded not to mention expensive. Here is a History: during the revolution all of Fidel's men survived on grass until they marched into Havana in 1959 by that time all good so called good cooks migrated to Miami. So the period of Cuban gourmet ended at that time. Most people stay in what is called special home stays- Casa particular s, and in those places with permission you can cook, unless you have $250 per day for a five star hotel?. You can go to the farmers market and buy the best, I mean the best meats fish seafood. Imagine one Euro buys you 4 kilos of food, (non convertible about 26 pesos-all organic), If you can cook Cuba is paradise, if you cant COOK go to Costa Rica for a takeway or mexico.
Regards
Johnny

Posted by: John Jureidini on June 28, 2007 3:52 AM

Fetta cheese, black olives and strong coffee on the roof of a Sultanamet hotel in Istanbul with a view over the Bosphors!!

Posted by: Peter Foye on July 14, 2007 8:00 AM

For me personally; Thai, Italian goes without saying.

French is not really my palate. I like sushi, but can understand why one does not.

The one un-sung hero in my eyes is Peruvian food. Despite what you said about S America lacking spices, that does not apply to Peruvian cuisine. In fact the mix of flavours could be amongst the best I have experienced.

Posted by: Martin on October 25, 2007 3:57 AM

Best: Malaysian food hands down. Nothing beats roti canai and curry, hot steamy nasi lemak, chili crabs (and all other flavours!), satay and the list goes on and on. Food is consistently good and cheap. Fantastic blend of Malay, Chinese & Indian food that is distinctly Malaysian (Malay food in Indonesia and Chinese food in China does NOT taste the same as in Malaysia!).

Worst: Filipino so far. Been living here for 1 year and have found nothing tasty enough. Fish are generally fried to death, seafood and meat overcooked, non-existence of spices besides vinegar (hmm...this is not even a spice!), hotdogs and donuts everywhere. Not to mention Jollibee, the nation's favourite food.

Posted by: Rachel on December 11, 2007 12:42 PM

I think:
*best-Indonesian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese(sorry I kinda only like Asian food)
*worst-don't really have one.......

Posted by: Celin on December 16, 2007 8:32 PM

Sweden: A good 'dagens rätt' with meatballs or falu sausage and other types of 'husmanskost'(household food) is great value and tastes great.

Germany/Austria: First of all these places have cheap, tasty kebabs and sausages down to an art, but the reasonably cheap Austrian/Bavarian schnitzels and the cakes you can pick up in the bakeries are awesome.

Holland: best satay indonesian i have had!

Denmark: Good China boxes!

UK: They do chinese really well! The rest is a bit bland, except curries of course.

Czech Republic: Goulash and dumplings. Can it be beaten?

Malaysia: Best Sweet and Sour Pork in Penang! Also Nyonya food in Penang is excellent. Food court in Chinatown is great when the haggling has made you hungry.

Singapore: V. hit and miss. I've had some GREAT food, but the mee is usually very sloppy, so rice dishes become the safer option. Lau Pa Sat (or something) and Tekka mall do good food as does Bugis Village markets. I found chicken rice to be a let down.

Posted by: Kristian on December 18, 2007 1:45 PM

Having lived for 25 years in OZ and 25 years in the UK I can definitely tell you Australians are very fortunate to haqve such quality foreign food available. It's a shame this quality is not known in 'Australian' cuisine. In regards to the Brits, if you visit as a backpacker and live on a backpackers budget, expect less-than quality food. If you can, I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND pub food but not Wetherspoos, which is microwaved out of sight. Country pubs serve A1 local food, and I guarantee your opinion will change about British grub, and it wont break the bank either.

Posted by: scott M on December 16, 2008 12:24 AM

Indonesian foods are much better than any countries in the world... I'd love it, and also Thai foods.

Posted by: BoneCrack on June 11, 2009 12:20 PM

Australia easily is/are number one. Your choice of French, Americano, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Lebanese, Thai, English, Malaysian, Indian, Sri Lankin, Syrian, Iranian and Aussie foods are there for you to enjoy and affordable. Excuse me if I left out a few other countries cuisines, but that's what I've tried. The freshness and quality of produce is second to none. I live in Asia and the food is pathetic. The thought of a Aussie hamburger cooked by a Greek served to me by a Thai chick is driving me nuts. Name of the country I live in now, is/are withheld to protect the dignity of the inhabitants.

Posted by: Pete on June 14, 2009 3:13 AM

i have to Disagree completely with the assesment of eastern african food, i havn't been to countries like ethiopia, eritrea, sudan. but i have become very close with the refugee community from these countries. and my assesment of the food is that
injera is amazing!, slightly sour. and not like anything in our culture but its so goood. served with some tasty soup injera really is amazing.
(just food from these countries really is not what you would expect from these third world countries... much better!)
and would recomend everyone to try it! though i realise it might not be everyones cup of tea (hence your response to it in this blog)